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Gc  M.t:! 

978.2 

B51 

v.l 

12  71402 


GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRA 


3  1833  01065  6962 


A 


BiogTaphical  and  (iCnealoLncal  History 


Southeastern  Nebraska 


VOL.  I 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO  NEW   YORK 

THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHIXC  CO^H'ANY 

1904  ■    ,     . 


"f'  Preface. 

y  1271102 

y>  

I  Out  of  the  deptlis  of  his  mature  wisdom  Carlyle  wrote,  "Historv 

is  the  essence  of  innumerable  biographies."  Believing  this  to  be  tlie 
fact,  there  is  no  necessity  of  advancing  any  further  reason  for  tlie  com- 
pilation of  sucli  a  work  as  this,  if  reliable  history  is  to  be  the  ultimate 
object. 

Southeastern  Nelira.ska  has  sustained  within  its  confines  men  who 
\m\e  been  prominent  in  public  affairs  and  great  industrial  enterprises 
for  half  a  century.  The  annals  teem  with  the  records  of  strong  and 
noble  manhood,  and,  as  Sumner  has  said,  "the  true  grandeur  of  nations 
is  in  those  qualities  which  constitute  the  greatness  of  the  individual." 
The  final  causes  which  shape  ihe  fortunes  of  indi\-iduals  and  the  des- 
tinies of  States  are  often  the  same.  They  are  usually  remote  and  obscure, 
and  their  influence  scarcely  perceived  until  manifestly  declared  by  results. 
That  nation  is  the  greatest  which  produces  the  greatest  and  most  manly 
men  and  faithful  women;  and  the  intrinsic  safety  of  a  community 
depends  not  so  much  upon  methods  as  upon  that  normal  development 
from  the  deep  resources  of  which  proceeds  all  that  is  precious  and  per- 
manent in  life.  But  such  a  result  may  not  consciously  be  contemplated 
by  the  actors  in  the  great  social  drama.  T\u-suing  each  his  personal  good 
by  exalted  means,  they  work  out  national  destiny  as  a  logical  result. 
The  elements  of  success  in  life  consist  in  looth  innate  capacity  and 


iv  PREFACE. 

determination  to  excel.  Where  eitlier  is  wanting,  failure  is  almost  cer- 
tain in  the  outcome.  The  study  of  a  successful  life,  therefore,  serves 
hoth  as  a  source  of  information  and  as  a  stimulus  and  encouragement 
to  those  who  have  the  capacity.  .\s  an  important  lesson  in  this  con- 
nection we  may  appropriately  quote  Longfellow,  who  said:  "We  judge 
ourselves  hy  what  we  feel  capahle  of  doing,  while  we  judge  others  by 
what  they  have  already  done."  A  faithful  personal  history  is  an  illus- 
tration of  the  truth  of  his  observation. 

In  this  biographical  histors'  the  editorial  staff,  as  well  as  the  pub- 
lishers, have  fully  realized  the  magnitude  of  the  task.  In  the  collection 
of  die  material  there  has  been  a  constant  aim  to  discriminate  carefully 
in  regard  to  the  selection  of  subjects.  Those  who  have  been  iirominent 
factors  in  the  public,  social  and  industial  de\-elopment  of  the  country 
ha\-e  been  given  due  recognition  as  far  as  it  has  been  possiI:)le  to  secure 
the  requisite  data.  Names  worthy  of  perpetuation  here,  it  is  true, 
ha\'e  in  several  instances  been  omitted,  either  on  account  of  the  apathy 
of  those  concerned  or  the  inability  of  the  comiiilers  to  secure  the  informa- 
tion necessary  for  a  symmetrical  sketch ;  but  even  more  jiains  have  been 
taken  to  secure  accuracy  than  were  promised  in  the  prospectus.  \Vorks 
of  this  nature,  therefore,  are  more  relialile  and  complete  tlian  are  the 
"standard"  histories  of  a  country. 

THE    PUBLISHERS. 


Index. 


Acbenbach,  Lewis  402 

Akin,  Almon  M 595 

Aldrich,    Benton    353 

Allpress,  Henry  A 808 

Allvord,    William    H $2 

Ammernian,  U.  S 629 

Andrews,   A.   D 269 

Armstrong,   George   B 100 

Ashenfelter,  J.   W 239 

Aumiller,   John    507 

Avery,  W.  H 689 

Axtell,  Daniel  685 

Bacon.  Caleb  M 681 

Bailey,  Benjamin  H 515 

Baker,  Luther  S 569 

Baker,  William  II 444 

Barclay,    Andrew    D 904 

Barnes,    Casner    112 

Barnes,  C-  D 539 

Barnhart,  John  W 129 

Beeler,   J.    A 1063 

Belding,    G.    T 66 

Bell,    Alexander    805 

Bell,   James   T 806 

Bennett,  Robert  D 284 

Bill,    Edwin    J 69S 

Binger,     Henry     769 

Black,    Toliver    P 672 

Blandin,  John   F 784 

Blessing,    Clayton    E 44 

Borst,    Alanson    M 479 

Bower,  Henry  T 693 

Boyd,  Edward  M 854 

Boyd,    Robert    C 42 

Brandow,   William    499 

Brandt,    John    H 975 

Bridges,  Henry  C 878 

Brown,    Harvey   A 521 

Brown,    Jefferson    D 388 

Brown,   J.    P 666 

Brown,    M.    M 880 

Burress,  James  M 248 

Bush,    Walter    D 291 

Butler,  Chatfield  H 873 

Caldwell,  Samuel   L 37 


Caley,    Lewis    861 

Callen,    Harvey   J 208 

Callison,  Jesse  B 977 

Camp,  Chester  R 116 

Carey,    Peter    97 

Carmichael,  John  894 

Carmony,    Frank   A 193 

Carmony,  John   W 567 

Carpenter,  Jonathan   471 

Carr,  Preston  W 1064 

Castor,   Bernard   L 772 

Chaffin,   Shadrach   Pil 224 

Chaney,    William   R 87 

Chase,   Lumon    761 

Chubbuck,  Carlton  K 530 

Clapp,   Robert   A 605 

Clark,  Mrs.  Mary  E 312 

Clark,  William  A 195 

Clark,    William    L 495 

Coatney,   John   H 185 

Cole,    Sanford   D 425 

Collins,  Andrew  G 650 

Colman,    Allen     847 

Confer,    Daniel    153 

Conner,    Monroe     1" 187 

Copeland,   Thomas    49 

Cornell,  John  F 256 

Coulter,  Robert    803 

Cowel,  James    108 

Cowperthwait,  S.  J 943 

Cramb,   E.    M 54i 

Crane,   William    H 560 

Cravens,  Joseph  M 383 

Creuz,  Charles    201 

Crinklaw,   Robert    552 

Crook,  Jesse   474 

Croop,   Morton  0 1052 

Crow,    George    306 

Cussins,    Jackson 424 

Cussins,    James    421 

Dalbey,    J.    Lee    294 

Darnell,  George   856 

Darr,  Francis  D 818 

Davidson,  S.  P 536 

Davies,  John  267 

Davis,   Daniel   D 160 


INDEX. 


Davis,    Nathaniel    E 600 

Day,  E.  H 663 

Day,  Harry  A 963 

Dean,   Lewis   H 281 

Deffer,  Augustus   787 

DeKalb,  Thomas  J 668 

Deubler,    Conrad     513 

Diller,    Andrew    825 

Diller,    Jacob    K 587 

Diller,    W.   H 631 

Doane   College    832 

Dodge,    Seth    W 603 

Dooley,    Samuel    B 183 

Dort,   Edward  H 63 

Dorrington,  Williain  E 418 

Downey,  W.  F 641 

Downs,  Mrs.  Catherine  429 

Doyle,  James   E 80 

Druerj',   Jonas    325 

Dundas,  John  H 82 

Dustin,  George  T 25 

Dye,  George  E 12 

Easley,  Drury  T 367 

Easley,  Stephen  R-   919 

Eckhardt,  August    210 

Edgar,  W.  H. 871 

Edgerton,   William    S16 

Ellis,   William   A 1016 

Engel,  J.  Louis 89 

Enlow,  O.  i\I 410 

Enoch,  Absalom  M 149 

Erisman,  Henry  B 191 

Fairall,  Truman  E 538 

Fall,   C.    P 903 

Fallstead,  George  H 390 

Feather,    Peter    W 1034 

Forney,  Joseph  1041 

Fowler,    Charles    L 554 

Frankforter,    David    763 

Frankforter,   Noah    766 

Frederick,    John    76 

Freel,    Oliver    901 

Friday,  John  H 550 

Frieze,  John   1 1044 

Fritz,   L.   R 447 

Fry,   Isaac   M 914 

Fuller,    Mrs.    Sarah    E 103 

Fulton,    Wesley    M 351 

Furnas,    Robert    W 2 

Gaede,  William    22 

Gage,  Edward  D.  and   Family   983 

Gallant,  William    653 

Gardner,   I-   S 697 

C.illf'Spic,    P.   L 431 


Gilliland,    Josiah     163 

Gilmore,    Andrew    H 14S 

Gilmore,  Robert  G 4° 

Gilmore,   William   .M 584 

Gi\en,   H.  A 428 

Glasgow,  Sterling   P 9SS 

Goin,   James   K.    458 

uoin,    Phillip    1029 

Goldner,   William    422 

Goodman,    Daniel 123 

Graff,    Gus    4S6 

Graves,   Albion,    968 

Griffin,   E.   P 836 

Grimes,    Joseph    W 857 

Green,    Francis    626 

Greenwood,  H.  A 870 

Grout,  Arnold  W 906 

Hacker,   Charles  R 78 

Haddan,  John  C i 

Hageman,    Gaddis    P 798 

Haggard,  George  T 638 

Hahn,    Frederick   J 524 

Hahn,   Mrs.   Callv.rine   526 

Hamershani.    James    1031 

Harden,    Charles    349 

Harmon,    Henry    10 

Harris,    G.    A.  " 973 

Hassler,   Fred.   S 274 

Hastings,    George    H 728 

Hawley,  William   H 518 

Hazard,  Ashbcl  P 648 

Heilman,   W-   L 490 

Helvey.   Henry    W 675 

Hclvev,  Hiram  P 1053 

Helvcy,  Jasper   574 

Hensel,   Claude   P 807 

Heppcrlen,  H.   M 266 

Hcskett,   John   W 264 

Hibbert,   Thoinas   E 1074 

Hickman,   Isaac   N 399 

Hildebrand,    Arthur    E 74i 

Hileman,    Milton    94i 

Hockman,    Noah     726 

Holbrook,    Stephen    F 1057 

Holroyd,  William   211 

Holtgrewe,    John    F 5" 

Hoover,   Mrs.  Harriet    74 

Hoover,   Harry  G 296 

Homey,   Joseph   M 742 

Flosford,    James   W 3S8 

Hossack,    John     .378 

Houck,   James    654 

Houseman,  Harry   814 

Howe,    Seymour    -. .  .  896 

Huffman,    Elisha    376 

Hughes,    Amos    T.    D 958 


INDEX. 


Hummel,    Wesley    G 231 

Humphreys,  Thomas  Vv 50J 

Hurlburt,    M.    C S85 

Hurst,  Charles  B 220 

Hutchinson,  Oswin  S. 927 

Huyck,  Isaac  488 

Isaac,   S^ven  A 261 

Jacobs,    William    746 

James,   P.   H.    54 

Jeffrey,   J.   0 862 

Jelinek,   To^epli.   Tr ion 

Tenkuis     rhiliii     226 

joh.-M,,   Janic.    724 

John-..!).    I'urtcr   C 531 

Johnston,  William  J 701 

Jones,    Benjamin    I-' 320 

Jones,  Joel   T 965 

Jones,  William  W 37^ 

Jump,   John  D 1033 

Karten,    Frank     ■  709 

Kauffman,    William    M 141 

Kechely,    Mechior    1014 

Keecly,   Thomas  J 57 

Kennedy,    George    L 435 

Kennedy,  Stephen  ^^' 4," 

Kimball,    F.    E 362 

King,    John    P 30J 

Kinney,    Samuel    A 364 

Kirk,    .Mrs.   Laura   D 1013 

Koepptl,    Albert    215 

Lake,   D.    B 293 

Lambert,   John    E 126 

Langley,   Moses    533 

Lapp,    Henry   C 400 

Lawrence,    Abraham    L-     68 

Lawrence,  John  A 482 

Leedom,  Conoway  921 

Leeper,    Albert    C 213 

Legate,  Ehvard  K 448 

Lescher.  Joseph   405 

Lewis,    George    B 343 

Lewis,    John    B 314 

Lightbodv,  Isaac   6yy 

Lillv,   Gu'ilford    138 

Lilly,  Wilson  S 866 

Liltle,    (k-orge   F 945 

Littrell,    Dan   L 565 

Loch,  O.  H 287 

Lohr,    William    H 194 

London,  John  547 

Loofbourrow,  Abner  R 131 

Lore.   George  L-    8 


Louderback,     i\Iills 610 

Lowery,  W.   B 883 

Lum,  George 243 

Lutgen,  Sidney  B 545 

Lyford,    Victor    G 737 

Lynch,   John   H 1050 

3iIajors,  Thomas  J 204 

Manley,  Abram  F 473 

}ilarlatt,    Jeremiah     158 

?\larrs,  Frank  L 1042 

:\larshall,   Thomas   C 1047 

Martin,    Everard    812 

^lassey,  T.   E.    491 

blasters,  Joseph  D 618 

Mather,  Daniel   1023 

Maust,  Elias  A 411 

Maxwell,    Edward    T 311 

:\Iaxu-ell,    Mrs.    Ann    309 

Maxwell.    Jackson    464 

Mc.\dams,  Robert  T 1008 

McBride,  Daniel   L 478 

.McCandlass,  A,  D 824 

McComas,   Edward   M 439 

McComas,    Mortiiner    M 443 

-McDowell,    Joseph    B 542 

?\IcElhosc,  Robert   392 

^IcGuire,  James  A 432 

Mclninch,  William   H.    93 

McKibben,  J.  W 346 

?\lcKiunev,    Alfred    1017 

.McMulk'u,    Adam     869 

AlcXickle,  A.  B 416 

McXiiwn,    I'Vank   L 254 

Mead,  Giles  H 792 

?\Ieader,    Cyrus    C 276 

!Meliza,  Michael   233 

Meyers,  Henry  S 406 

Millar,    Appollas    H 375 

Jililler,  Franklin   907 

Miller,   John    924 

Miller,  Theodore   H 730 

Moffitt,  Andrew   888 

Moles,   James   S 581 

Moore,  Jacob  W., 385 

^Moore,    Thomas    797 

]\Iorris,  Lewis   H- 369 

Moses,   Ebenezer    852 

Muff,   Mrs.   Catharine    703 

?iluir,  Robert  V 315 

:\Iutz,  ..\lbcrt  B 51 

Mutz,  .\nslin  C 15 

Nelson,  Ross  W 366 

Nider,  John  951 

Nntzman.    Louis   J 506 

Nye,  C,  F 34 


INDEX. 


Ogle,  Joseph   iSo 

Ord,   Clarence   E 170 

Ottens,  Bernard   178 

Overman,   James    H 270 

Ozman,  William  L 781 

Pace,  James  W 409 

Page,    Alfred,     228 

Palmer,    John    251 

Palmer,    Phillip    252 

Parker,  Fred  175 

Parks,  Robert  B.   799 

Parriolt,   William   C 59 

Peabody,  Valentine  P 328 

Percival,  Judson    929 

Perry,  David  P 828 

Perry,    James    K 937 

Pettit,   Samuel    980 

Phillips,    W.    H 859 

Pickrell,   William    899 

Pittman,   Joseph  K no 

Pittenger,    Reuben    S 930 

Place,  George  M 1059 

Poc,  Thomas  B 1025 

Pohlman,  John  H 118 

Porterfield,  James  N 381 

Prouty,  Francis  L-    1019 

Pyle,  George  W 1027 

Randall,  Myron  G 85 

Randall,  Orlando    T 874 

Raynor,    James     104 

Reed,  Enos  H 426 

Reed,    Francis    B 527 

Reed,  Harrison 462 

Reid,    D,    J 492 

Retchless,   William    467 

Richards,   W,    H 21 

Riddle,  W.  M 633 

Riesenberg,  Frank  W 155 

Robinson,  Edward 571 

Rodebaugh,  Daniel  F.   1071 

Roe,  Joseph   E 849 

Rogers,   Edwin  J 623 

Rogers,  George  A 621 

Rogge,  J.   H.   F 946 

Rohmeyer,  Louis  H 114 

Root,  Mrs.  Emeretta   961 

Rounds,  Lorin   61 

Rubelman,   George   J 537 

Sanders,  William  W 450 

Schoonover,    Hiram     469 

Scott,   Henry  A 165 

Scott,    Robert    T 278 

Shade,   Daniel   A.    1060 

Shafer,    Jlichacl    288 


Shannon,  Greenville  G 459 

Shaw,   James    1 341 

Shepherd,  Alexander   841 

Shepstall,  Daniel    838 

Shepstall,   George  W 839 

Shepstall,    Nathaniel    1 840 

Sherwood,    David    A 953 

Shook,    John    H 17 

Showalter,  Benjamin   F.         497 

Shubert,   Henry  W 1065 

Shubert,  John   D 297 

Shufeldt,    H.    W 717 

Skeen,    Benjamin    T ...   135 

Skeen,   Thomas   B 29 

Skinner,    John    B 64  ? 

Sloan,  W.  T 301 

Slocum,  Samuel  E 395 

Smith,  Albert  F 891 

Smith.    George    Y 577 

Smith,   Mrs.    Eliza   C 245 

Smith,    William     949 

Smith,    William    W 453 

Snyder,   Anthony   W 300 

Snyder,  Edward  W 484 

Snyder,    James    A 651 

Spirk,   John   F yy6 

Stainbrook,    Marcus     658 

Stainbrook,  W.   B 661 

Starr,  Joseph  W 932 

Starr,    Peter    D 748 

Stephenson,   James    .\ 70 

Stewart,    Washington    636 

Stewart,    Charles   F '  8 

Stockman,  Thomas  J 152 

Stowell,  William  H 91 

Sullivan,  Michael 715 

Sykes,    Jasper    M 876 

Taylor,   J.    S 558 

Taylor,  William   M 241 

Teale,  Joseph   721 

Thacker,    Levi    336 

Thompson,   Isaac   N 591 

Tidball,  John  L.  909 

Tigard,   Samuel    720 

Tout,  John  M 863 

Towne,    Reuben    J 1049 

Tramblie,   Julius    1055 

Trimmer,   Thaddeus    699 

Tucker,  Edward  J 172 

Turner,  Robert  T 1045 

Twedell,  Simon    493 

Tynon,    William     198 

Upton,  David   753 

\'ance.  George  C 597 


INDEX. 


VanDeventer,    Morgan    H 2i2 

Van  Valkenbiirg,  Dudley   347 

Vertrees,   Samuel  D 1032 

Viette,   William    1037 

Vilda,  Wencil   75i 

Vollbehr,  John   93<) 

WaWter,   Louis    796 

Walker,   Benjamin    615 

Walker,  W.   H 238 

Ward,  George  E 972 

Ward,   H.   L 97i 

Ward,  John  A-   280 

Watson,   Henrick   L 125 

Watson,  William,    218 

Welch,   Henry  C 756 

Wells,   Horace   M 7" 

Welton,  Charles  M 322 

Welsh,  John  B 606 

Wendorff,    Ferdinand    790 

Weston.   AVilliam    864 


\Vetniore,  H.  J 446 

Wey,  Charles  A 143 

Wheeler,  Theodore   M 779 

Whitaker  Brothers    734 

White,   William    28 

Whitfield,  Needham  P, S45 

Whillnw.      TclcT       801 

Whitncv.    A\-illi;,ni   L 646 

Wnkir,    DaM,!     338 

William-,    laiiKN   A 1040 

Willoughby,   Winfield   S O12 

Wilson,  Joseph   D 759 

Wilson,  Walter  H 923 

Wilson,  W.  P 974 

Winter,    F.    W 1039 

Wirick,   John    504 

Wirtli.    Lewis    P 433 

Woodman.   John    H 820 

Wright,    W.    W 397 

Zook,   Abraham    2^f' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


JOHN  C.  HADDAN. 

John  C.  Haddan,  of  \\'ymore,  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  one  of  the 
leading  residents  of  that  locahty  and  a  prominent  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  has  lived  in  Nebraska  for  thirty-two  years  and  in  this  county  for 
nineteen  years. 

His  enlistment  took  place  at  Putnam,  Putnam  count}'.  Indiana,  in 
August,  1861,  in  Company  I,  Twenty-seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Colonel  Silas  Colgrove  in  command.  After  a  long  and  exciting 
term  of  service  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  February,  1863,  and 
returned  home.  During  his  service  at  one  time  it  was  supposed  he  was 
taken  prisoner,  but  he  escaped  as  he  was  at  that  time  guarding  a  train 
of  su]iplies.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Virginia,  Straws- 
burg,  Virginia,  Banks'  retreat  in  the  Shenandoah  A^alley,  Cedar  Moun- 
tain, second  battle  of  Bull  Run. 

John  C.  Haddan  was  born  in  Piitnam  county,  Indiana,  not  far 
from  Putnamville,  July  15,  1840,  the  year  William  H.  Harrison  was 
elected  president.  He  was  a  son  of  Isaac  Haddan  and  Mary  (Wilson) 
Haddan,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  Page  county,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of 
sixtj'-five  years,  while  the  mother,  who  was  born  in  1808,  died  aged 
eighty-six  years.  These  worthy  people  had  eight  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

Mr.  Haddan  is  a  grandson  of  John  Haddan,  a  native  of  Virginia, 


2  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

born  and  reared  a  farmer.  John  moved  to  Ktentucky  with  his  parents 
when  a  young  man  and  they  settled  in  Owen  county.  Jolin  Haddan 
fought  under  (leneral  Harrison  at  tlie  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  After  that 
war  he  moved  from  Kentucky  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
died  aged  one  hundred  years.  He  had  two  brothers,  William  and 
Robert,  and  they  all  served  in  the  war  under  General  Harrison.  Robert 
was  one  of  General  Harrison's  aides.  John  C.  Haddaii  resided  in  Iowa 
for  some  years  after  having  come  to  that  state  with  his  parents,  and 
in  1872  he  removed  to  Nebraska.  \Miile  still  residing  in  Iowa,  he  was 
married  to  IMary  I.  ^^''ymore,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Mc- 
Mann)  ^^^•more.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wyniore  were: 
Abram  \l..  who  served  in  the  Fortieth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  died 
at  Helena,  Arkansas:  Mathew,  who  died  while  a  member  of  the  Fortieth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry:  James  H.,  of  the  same  regiment. 

Working  steadily  to  gain  a  comfortable  home  for  himself  and 
family  Mr.  Haddan  is  now  the  owner  of  four  houses  and  lots  and  his 
home  place  is  surrounded  by  four  acres  of  ground.  His  house  is  a 
pleasant  fi\-e-room  cottage,  comfortably  furnished.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  is  past  commander  of  Coleman  Post  No.  115,  G.  A. 
R.  Mrs.  Haddan  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Science  Club.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haddan  are  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the 
entire  communitv. 


EX- GOVERNOR  ROBERT  W.  FURNAS. 

Robert  \\'ilkinson  Furnas  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Troy,  Miami 
county,  Ohio,  May  5,  1824,  being  a  son  of  William  and  Martha  (Jen- 
kins) Furnas,  both  natives  of  Newberry,  South  Carolina,  where  the 
father  was  born  in  1804  and  the  latter  in  1800.     In  the  paternal  line  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  3 

family  is  traced  back  to  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  John 
Furnas,  who  was  born  at  Standing  Stone,  Cumberland,  England,  March 
5,  1736,  while  his  son,  Thomas  Wilkinson,  the  grandfather  of  Robert 
W.,  was  born  at  Bush  River,  South  Carolina,  March  2t,,  1768.  Both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  were  Friends  or  Quakers.  William 
and  Martha  Furnas  died  of  cholera  within  a  few  days  of  each  other,  at 
Troy,  Ohio,  in  the  year  183J.  In  their  family  were  three  children,  the 
twin  brother  of  Robert  W.  dying  in  infancy,  and  the  daughter,  Mary 
Elizabeth,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

Robert  Wilkinson  Furnas  was  reared  in  the  home  of  his  grand- 
father Furnas  until  twelve  years  of  age,  receiving  but  limited  educational 
advantages  in  his  youth,  and  his  school  days  were  limited  to  about 
twelve  months.  For  two  years,  from  the  age  of  tweh-e  to  fourteen 
years,  he  served  as  "chore  boy"  in  the  general  store  of  Singer  &  Brown, 
of  Troy,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
the  tinsmith's  trade,  in  which  he  ser\-ed  for  four  years,  and  then  served 
a  four  years'  apprenticeship  to  Rich  C.  Langdon,  of  the  Licking  Valley 
Register.  Covington,  Kentucky,  there  learning  in  detail  the  art  of 
printing.  After  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  apprenticeship  he,  with 
A.  G.  Sparhawk,  for  some  years  conducted  a  book  and  job  printing- 
house  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  during  which  time  he  was  also  the  publisher 
of  several  periodicals.  Returning  to  his  native  county  of  Troy  in 
1846,  he  there  purchased  antl  published  The  Times  at  the  county  seat, 
but  after  a  number  of  years  thus  spent  he  retired  from  the  newspaper 
business  and  engaged  in  the  clock,  watch,  jewelry  and  notion  trade  in  the 
same  town,  also  serving  as  the  village  clerk  and  deputy  postmaster.  On 
the  completion  of  the  Dayton  &  Michigan  Railroad  to  Troy,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  that  company  as  railroad  and  express  agent  and  conductor. 

In  March,  1836,  Mr.  Furnas  came  t(j  Brownville,  Nebraska,  bring- 


4  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ing  ^\•it!l  him  a  printing  press  and  outfit  and  again  ventured  into  the 
journahstic  field.  He  established,  published  and  edited  the  Nebraska 
Advertiser,  which  is  still  published  in  Nemaha  county,  and  in  1868 
published  and  edited  the  Nehrcska  fariiwr,  that  being  the  first  agri- 
cultural paper  edited  in  Nebraska.  In  the  same  fall  in  which  he  came 
to  the  state  he  was  elected  to  the  council  branch  of  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture, serving  four  consecutive  years,  and  was  elected  by  that  body  the 
public  printer,  printing  the  laws  and  journals  of  the  fourth  session  of  the 
legislature.  During  his  first  session  he  was  the  author  of  the  first  com- 
mon school  law  for  Nebraska,  also  the  law  creating  the  territorial,  now 
state,  board  of  agriculture.  During  his  term  as  a  legislator  he  intro- 
duced and  secured  the  passage  of  many  acts  of  both  local  and  general  im- 
portance, naver  having  failed  in  securing  the  passage  of  a  bill  when 
introduced.  He  was  conspicuous  in  the  passage  of  an  act  declaring 
against  holding  sla\-es  in  Nebraska. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  states  Mr.  Furnas  was 
commissioned  by  the  then  acting  governor  J-  Sterling  Morton,  colonel 
of  the  territorial  militia  and  was  afterward  commissioned,  by  acting 
governor  A.  S.  Paddock,  brigadier  general  in  the  same  service  for  the 
district  south  of  the  Platte  river.  \\'ithout  solicitation  on  his  part  he 
was  appointed  and  commissioned  by  President  Lincoln,  Alru-ch  22,  1862, 
colonel  in  the  regular  army,  being  mustered  into  the  service  by  Lieu- 
tenant C.  S.  Bowman,  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  May  22,  1862,  and 
under  this  commission  organized  three  Lidian  regiments  from  the  Lidian 
Nation,  composed  of  Creeks,  Seminoles,  Choctaws,  Chickasaws  and 
Cherokee  Indians,  commanding  the  brigade.  In  this  campaign  Colonel 
Furnas  had  with  him  as  members  of  his  staff  and  Indian  advisers  the 
two  noted  Seminole  chiefs,  Opotholoholo,  then  said  to  be  over  one  hun- 
dred years  old,  and  Billy  Bow  Legs.     These  two  Indian  leaders,  it  will 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  5 

be  remembered,  were  conspicuous  characters  in  the  Florida-Seminole 
war  of  1838.  While  in  this  service  Colonel  Furnas  captured  the  cele- 
brated Cherokee  Indian  chief,  John  Ross,  and  family,  sending  them  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  for  conference  with  the  president  of  the  United 
States.  This  terminated  the  trouble  in  the  Indian  nation.  With  these 
Indians  he  fought  several  successful  battles  against  white  confederate 
soldiers  on  the  border  of  the  IMissouri  and  in  the  Indian  territory. 
Colonel  Furnas  was  detailed  from  this  service  with  a  special  commission 
from  the  noted  "Jim  Lane"  to  recruit  in  Nebraska,  recruiting  largely  the 
Second  Nebraska  Cavahy.  He  entered  that  ser\-ice  as  a  private,  but  was 
later  commissioned  captain  of  Company  E,  and  when  the  regiment  was 
completed  was  by  Governor  Alvin  Saunders  commissioned  colonel  of 
the  same  and  served  under  General  Sully  in  his  northern  Indian  expedi- 
tion against  the  Sioux  and  other  hostile  Indians  north,  near  British  pos- 
sessions. The  Second  Nebraska  Cavalry  successfully  fought  the  battle 
of  ^^'hite  Stone  Hill  against  a  treble  number  of  the  Sioux  Indians. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  Colonel  Furnas  was  hon- 
orably discharged,  and  soon  afterward,  without  his  knowledge,  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  agent  for  the  Omaha  Indians  in  northern 
Nebraska,  ser\'ing  nearly  four  years,  during  which  time  he  also  had 
charge  of  the  \Mnnebago  and  Ponca  Indian  tribes.  During  his  term  as 
Indian  agent,  from  a  condition  of  annual  support  by  the  general  govern- 
ment, he  ele\-ated  the  Omaha  Indians  agriculturally  to  the  production 
and  sale  of  forthy  thousand  bushels  of  surplus  corn  in  one  year.  Through 
his  efforts  the  mission  school  increased  from  thirty-five  to  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  pupils.  For  political  disloyalty  to  "Andy"  Johnson  he 
was  removed  by  him,  he  having  succeeded  Lincoln  after  his  assassin- 
ation. Returning  to  Brownville.  •  Mr.  Furnas  engaged  again  in  the 
newspaper  business  and  later  turned  his  attention  to  farming  in  Nemaha 


6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

county.  Politically  He  was  an  old-line  \Vhig  and  afterward  a  Republi- 
can, and  in  1872  he  was  elected  the  governor  of  Nebraska.  After  his 
term  of  service  expired  he  returned  to  Brownville,  where  he  has  ever 
since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit  and  forest-tree  growing.  Since 
coming  to  this  state  he  has  also  held  numerous  other  official  positions, 
as  follows :  president  and  secretary  of  the  state  board  of  agriculture, 
president  and  secretary  of  the  state  horticultural  society,  president  of  the 
state  horticultural  society,  jiresident  of  the  Nebraska  soldiers'  union, 
vice  president  of  the  American  Pomological  Society,  president  of  inter- 
national fairs  and  expositions,  president  of  the  American  Fair  Associa- 
tion, president  of  the  first  trans-Mississippi  irrigation  convention  at  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  in  1879,  a  delegate  to  the  convention  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
in  1857,  to  form  a  new  territory  composed  of  land  between  the  mouth 
of  the  Kaw  and  Platte  rivers,  United  States  commissioner  to  Phila- 
delphia centennial,  the  New  Orleans  cotton  centennial,  Chicago  Colum- 
bian exposition  and  special  commissioner  of  the  international  exposi- 
tion at  London,  England.  For  two  years  Mr.  Furnas  was  special  agent 
for  the  United  States  pension  bureau,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first 
board  of  regents  of  the  University  of  Nebraska,  a  portion  of  the  time 
being  president  of  the  board.  He  was  also  special  agent  of  the  United 
States  department  of  agriculture  to  investigate  the  agricultural  needs 
of  California,  \Vashington,  Oregon  and  New  Mexico,  also  to  obtain 
forestry  data  for  territory  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  special  agent  to  obtain  national  data  for  the  L'nited  States 
treasury  department.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention 
which  first  nominated  General  Grant  for  president,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  on  resolutions. 

While  a  resident  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  the  29th  of  October,  1845, 
Mr.  Furnas  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  McComas,  and  eight  children 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  7 

were  born  to  them,  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows :  William 
Edward,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  October  13,  1846,  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  a  hos- 
pital at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  December  16,  1862;  Filmore  Taylor,  born 
in  Troy,  Ohio,  October  29,  1848,  died  in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  April 
21,  1864;  Arthur  W.  was  born  in  Troy,  Ohio,  June  30,  1850;  George 
Gilbert  was  born  in  that  city  on  the  25th  of  ]\Iay,  1852,  and  married 
Charlotte  Judkins,  at  Brownville,  September  25,  1873;  Joh"  Somerville 
Inskip,  who  was  born  in  Troy,  Ohio,  February  6,  1855,  married  Martha 
Cook  in  California,  May  14,  1889;  Mollie,  who  was  born  in  Brownville, 
June  23,  1857,  was  married  in  this  city  June  16,  1880,  to  William  J. 
Weber;  Celia  Hensley  was  born  in  this  city  June  29,  i860,  was  here 
married,  June  5,  1895,  to  Edward  E.  Lowman:  and  Robert,  who  was 
born  in  Brownville  August  29,  1862,  died  in  the  Omaha  Indian  reserva- 
tion on  the  i6th  of  May,  1864.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Furnas  have  a  unique 
volume  entitled  "The  Golden  Anniversary  of  Robert  W.  Furnas  and 
Mary  E.  Furnas,"  dated  Brownville,  Nebraska,  1895,  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  pages  and  is  filled  with  reminiscences  and  congratula- 
tory letters  from  their  many  friends.  This  volume  is  dedicated  to  their 
children.  Mr.  Furnas  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States.  He  has 
filled  all  the  grand  chairs  in  the  Masonic  bodies  of  the  state,  also  in  the 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Nebraska  and  served  as  rqjresentative  to  the 
grand  lodge  of  the  United  States.  In  religion  he  was  born  a  Quaker, 
but  when  nineteen  years  old  identified  himself  with  the  Methodist  church, 
and  after  coming  to  Nebraska  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  is  vet  a  member. 


8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

CHARLES  F.  STEWART,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Charles  F.  Stewart,  of  Auburn,  lias  practiced  medicine  in  the 
territory  and  state  of  Nel3raska  longer  than  any  other  living  physician, 
and  from  the  pioneer  days  to  the  present  has  enjoyed  a  most  honorable 
and  useful  career  both  as  a  professional  man  and  as  a  civilian. 

Dr.  Stewart  was  born  in  Switzerland  county,  Indiana.  August  28, 
1832,  so  that  he  has  already  passed  the  age  of  threescore  and  ten,  and 
is  yet  active  and  vigorous  in  the  prosecution  of  his  daily  duties.  He 
came  to  Nemaha  county,  in  the  then  territoiy  of  Nebraska,  in  1857,  and 
this  county  has  been  the  principal  theatre  of  his  activity  in  all  the  many 
subsequent  years.  He  was  acting  assistant  surgeon  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  superintendent  of  the 
Nebraska  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Lincoln  He  was  a  member  of  the 
state  board  of  health  for  seven  years.  He  has  been  a  United  States 
examining  surgeon  for  the  pension  department  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  and  in  addition  to  all  these  duties  and  responsibilities  has  been 
continually  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  territorjr  and 
state,  so  that  now,  in  point  of  years  of  service,  he  is  the  dean  of  the  med- 
ical fraternitv  of  Nebraska. 


GEORGE  L.   LORE. 

George  L.  Lore,  who  has  been  serving  as  county  clerk  of  Pawnee 
county,  Nebraska,  since  his  election  in  1901,  is  one  of  the  popular  county 
officials  and  a  resident  of  Pawnee  City.  He  is  a  native  son  of  the  county, 
and  has  li\-ed  within  its  boundaries  all  his  life,  so  that  he  deserves  men- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  g 

tion  ns  well  for  his  own  honorable  career  as  also  for  the  fact  that  he  is 
a  son  of  a  pioneer  homesteader  and  long-established  citizen  of  the  state. 

His  father,  John  P.  Lore,  after  a  long  and  useful  life,  has  retired 
from  active  business  affairs  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labors, 
being  a  retired  resident  of  Dubois,  Pawnee  county.  He  was  born  in 
^^'ayne  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  He  afterward 
mo\-ed  to  ^Missouri,  where  he  married  Sarah  A.  Liggett,  .\fter  their  mar- 
riage they  left  ^Missouri,  and,  with  firm  belief  in  the  future  of  the 
then  Territory  of  Nebraska  as  destined  to  become  one  of  the  great  com- 
monwealths of  the  Mississippi  valley,  settled  in  South  Fork  township. 
Pawnee  county,  w  here  he  took  up  a  homestead  and  developed  a  fine  farm 
from  the  prairie.  He  has  been  a  Republican  most  of  his  life,  and  served 
acceptabl}'  as  county  commissioner  for  three  years,  and  also  held  various 
other  oflices.  Four  children  were  born  to  himself  and  wife:  Charles  F., 
of  Emporia,  Kansas ;  Mrs.  Alice  Potts,  of  Dubois,  Nebraska ;  George 
L. ;  and  Mrs.  X'ellie  Bailey,  of  Carroll,  Nebraska. 

George  L.  Lore  was  born  in  South  Fork  township.  Pawnee  countv, 
Nebraska,  October  25,  1869.  He  was  reared  in  the  same  locality,  and 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  common  school  education,  which  was  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  at  the  Iowa  Normal  College.  After  he  finished 
his  scholastic  career  he  was  for  ten  years  located  at  Dubois,  this  county, 
but  after  election  to  the  office  of  county  clerk  in  1901  he  moved  to  Pawnee 
City.  He  has  always  taken  an  acti\"e  part  in  local  politics,  and  during 
his  incumbency  of  the  present  office  has  discharged  his  duties  faithfully, 
conscientiously  and  ably,  and  has  made  friends  among  all  classes  of 
people. 

Li  1892  ^[r.  Lore  was  married  to  Aliss  Katherine  Atkinson,  a 
daughter  of  Albert  G.  and  I\Iary  .Atkinson,  who  are  now  living  retired 
in  Dubois.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lore  have  two  children,  Eugene  A.  and  ]\Iil- 


lo  •  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

dred  T.  Fraternally  Mr.  Lore  is  a  popular  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  belonging  to  the  local  lodge,  No.  94,  and  has  served  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  general  lodge  on  several  occasions.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Upright  in  principles,  pleasant  in  manner,  able  and 
well  fitted  for  the  duties  of  his  office,  Mr.  Lore  is  justly  regarded  as  a 
representative  of  the  best  interests  of  Pawnee  county. 


HENRY  HARMON. 

This  venerable  citizen,  now  living  retired  in  Auburn,  Nebraska,  has 
entered  the  octogenarian  ranks.  Henry  Harmon  was  born  in  East  Ten- 
nessee, February  4,  1823,  the  son  of  Virginia  parents.  Nathan  Harmon, 
his  father,  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  Tennessee 
and  Illinois,  he  having  removed  to  the  last  named  state  in  1828  and  set- 
tled in  Hillsboro,  Montgomery  county.  He  married  Rebecca  Myers, 
about  1813,  when  both  were  young,  the  bride  in  her  sixteenth  year. 
Their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  young  womanhood;  Polly, 
who  also  died  in  early  life;  George,  who  become  the  owner  of  large 
tracts  of  land  in  Missouri  and  Nebraska,  was  twice  married  and  the 
father  of  four  children,  died  in  1899;  Lottie,-  deceased;  Henry,  whose 
name  introduces  this  review ;  Reuben,  deceased ;  Davidson,  a  resident  of 
Kansas  City,  has  a  wife  and  five  children ;  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Jane  Beebe, 
who  has  her  third  husband  and  is  the  mother  of  fi\-e  children.  The  father 
of  this  family  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  the  mother  married  again, 
a  Mr.  Fraisher,  in  Missouri,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  ^Vashington 
Fraisher,  now  a  resident  of  California.  She  died  in  1873,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years. 

Henry  Harmon  in  his  youth  had  only  limited  advantages  for  obtain- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  ii 

ing  an  education.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
assisting  his  father  in  the  shop,  and  then  he  took  to  himself  a  wife. 
With  small  means  the  young  couple  settled  down  to  married  life  in 
Atchison  county,  Missouri,  where  they  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  they  farmed  four  years.  From  1853  to  1855  they  lived  on  another 
farm  in  that  county.  Then,  selling  out,  they  came  to  Nemalia  county, 
Nebraska,  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Doug- 
las precinct,  where  they  established  their  home  in  a  lob  cabin,  sixteen  by 
twenty  feet  in  dimensions.  Since  then  Mr.  Harmon  has  owned  two 
other  farms  and  had  as  much  as  four  hundred  acres  at  one  time.  He 
has  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  selling  some  of  his 
cattle  to  the  Chicago  market.  He  sold  his  last  farm  a  year  ago.  His 
pleasant  home,  a  two-story  residence,  on  the  corner  of  First  and  High 
streets,  in  Auburn,   Mr.   Harmon  built  in   1891. 

Mr.  Harmon  was  married  March  i,  1849,  to  ^I'ss  Margaret  Hand- 
ley,  who  was  Ijorn  in  Missouri,  November  11,  1833,  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Hall)  Handley,  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  In  the  Hand- 
ley  family  were  eight  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  married  and 
had  children,  and  four  of  the  number  are  now  living.  The  father  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  in  Atchison  county,  Missouri,  and  the 
mother  followed  him  in  death  three  days  later,  her  age  being  seventy- 
six  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harmon  reared  thirteen  of  their  fourteen 
children,  eight  sons  and  six  daugthers.  namely:  William,  of  Auburn, 
Nebraska,  has  a  wife  and  three  sons;  John,  also  of  Auburn,  is  married 
and  has  one  daughter ;  Mary  Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years ; 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Jacob  Snyder,  of  Nance  county,  Nebraska,  has  five 
children ;  George,  of  Auburn,  is  married  and  has  one  son  and  three 
daughters;  Frank,  of  Oklahoma  territory,  has  a  wife,  one  son  and  two 
daughters;  Sophrona,  wife  of  Hugh  Lockard,  of  Nance  county,  has  a 


12  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

son  and  one  daughter;  Lavina,  wife  of  \^'illiam  McKinney,  of  Nemaha 
county;  Sarah,  wife  of  Wilham  Ball,  of  Nemaha  county,  has  one  daugh- 
ter and  one  son;  Charles  is  married  and  lives  in  Auburn;  Andrew,  of 
St.  Paul.  ^Minnesota,  is  married  and  has  one  son  and  two  daughters; 
Nettie,  wife  of  John  McCarty,  of  Auburn;  Harvey,  of  Columbus,  Indi- 
ana, is  married  and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter;  and  Nathan,  of 
David  City.  Nebraska,  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter.  Three  of  the  sons, 
Andrew,  Harvey  and  Nathan,  are  ministers  in  the  Christian  church,  and 
all  are  occupying  honored  and, useful  positions  in  life. 

Some  years  ago,  as  the  result  of  blood  poisoning,  Mr.  Harmon  suf- 
fered the  loss  of  his  left  leg,  and  he  now  goes  about  with  the  aid  of  an 
artificial  limb.  He  has  also  been  afflicted  with  partial  paralysis.  Not- 
withstanding these  afflictions,  however,  he  retains  his  strength  and  facul- 
ties to  a  remarkable  degree  in  his  old  age,  and  the  weight  of  his  eighty 
_\'ears  rests  lightly  uixni  him.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife  are  de\-oted 
members  of  the  Christian  church.  Politically  Mr.  Harmon  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  filled  various  township  offices. 


GEORGE  E.  DYE. 

George  E.  Dye.  a  retired  farmer  and  merchant  of  Auburn,  Nebras- 
ka, dates  his  birth  in  the  Empire  state,  in  Yates  county.  August  6,  1840. 
Mr.  Dye's  father.  William  Dye,  was  born  in  Madison  county.  New  York, 
about  1803,  and  died  in  Madison,  AMsconsin,  in  the  spring  of  1865.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Dye,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  whose  death  occurred 
in  New  York  state  about  the  year  1843.  Both  John  Dye  and  his  wife 
were  buried  in  Cazenovia,  New  York.  She,  too,  was  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island  and  her  maiden  name  was  Rhodes.    They  were  the  parents  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  13 

nine  children,  eight  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  daughter  died  in  early 
womanhood.  The  sons  were  James,  Daniel,  John,  Waher,  Rouse,  Wil- 
ham,  Natlian  and  Enoch.  Ah  married  and  all  except  \\'alter  had  chil- 
dren. Four  of  these  eight  sons  were  Baptist  ministers  and  the  otiier  four 
were  deacons  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  all  lived  to  good  old  age.  Wil- 
liam Dye  was  a  minister,  and  Xew  ^'urk  and  ^^'isconsin  were  the  field  of 
his  labors.  He  married  Miss  Ann  Bailey,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
state  in  1806,  and  who  survived  him  a  short  time,  her  death  also  occurring 
in  \Visconsin.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
namely :  Julia,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  in  Senaca,  Xew  York ; 
William  Henry,  a  harness-maker,  located  in  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  is  married 
and  has  a  daughter  and  one  son;  Nathan  P.,  who  died  in  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,  in  the  prime  of  life;  James  R.,  a  retired  resident  of  San  Diego, 
Califoniia,  has  two  daughters;  Mary  E,  married  a  cousin  by  the  name  of 
Dye,  both  being  deceased,  and  they  left  one  daughter.  The  next  in  order 
of  birth  was  George  E.  The  youngest,  Charles  L.,  died  at  the  age  of 
four  years. 

George  E.  Dye  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
state.  He  removed  with  his  parents  from  place  to  place,  where  his  father 
was  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  he  remained  a  member  of 
the  home  circle  until  1862.  In  August  of  that  year,  at  Whitewater,  Wis-' 
cousin,  he  volunteered  for  service  in  the  Union  ranks  and  entered  the 
army  as  a  musician  in  Company  D,  Twenty-eighth  Wisconsin  Volunteer 
Infantry.  The  fortunes  of  this  command  he  shared  for  three  years, 
meantime  being  promoted  to  the  leadership  of  the  regimental  band.  He 
was  a  non-commissioned  officer  of  the  staff.  At  Helena,  Arkansas,  he 
was  ill  with  typhoid  fever  and  he  also  had  a  serious  illness  at  Pine  Bluff, 
Arkansas,  and  when  he  returned  to  \Visconsin  at  the  close  of  his  service 
in  1865,  it  was  with  health  much  impaired.     A  well  built  man  and  with  a 


14  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

fine  constitution  naturally,  he  in  time  recovered  his  health,  and  has  since 
led  an  active,  useful  life.  The  exposures  incident  to  war,  however,  sel- 
dom fail  to  leave  their  effects.  Now,  although  still  active  in  mind  and 
body,  Mr.  Dye  is  a  sufferer  and  is  somewhat  crippled  from  rheumatism. 

In  1869  Mr.  Dye  removed  from  Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  to  Nebraska 
and  settled  in  Nemaha  county.  His  first  land  purchase  here  was  eighty 
acres,  for  which  he  gave  $7. 50  per  acre,  and  which  he  sold  in  1881  for 
the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  He  then  bought  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  acres,  at  a  purchase  price  of  two  thousand  six  hundred  dollars, 
and  later  added  thirty-four  acres,  a  part  of  which  he  has  since  disposed 
of.  He  moved  to  Auburn  in  February,  1901,  and  bought  his  present 
home.  He  also  owns  other  property  in  town,  including  the  building 
occupied  by  the  postoffice. 

Mr.  Dye  married,  in  March,  1866,  Miss  Mary  E.  Grant,  a  native  of 
Jefferson  county,  Wisconsin,  born  in  1847.  She  is  a  distant  relative 
of  General  Grant,  ^^'illard  Grant,  her  father,  was  a  man  well  known  in 
Jefferson  county.  He  was  a  mechanic,  teacher  and  farmer,  and  served 
at  different  times  in  various  public  offices,  township  and  county,  and  he 
was  also  elected  to  and  served  in  the  Wisconsin  state  leigslature.  Mrs. 
Grant  was  Miss  Sarah  Dye,  she  being  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Dye's  uncle, 
James  Dye.  In  the  Grant  family  were  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are 
now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dye  ha\-e  had  five  children,  as  follows: 
Charles  G.,  who  is  married  and  resides  on  a  farm  in  Nemaha  county; 
Edith  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years;  and  Jessie  V.,  Anna 
Blanche  and  Emery  G.,  at  home.  The  two  daughters  are  graduates  of 
the  Auburn  high  school.  All  the  children  have  inherited  talent  for 
music.  The  daughters  are  music  teachers  and  the  younger  snn  is  cornetist 
in  the  Auburn  band.  Mr.  Dye  is  a  musician  and  for  many  years  was  a 
leader  and  teacher  of  bands. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  15 

Mr.  Dye  was  fnrmerly  a  Republican,  Init  recently  has  been  an  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views,  voting  for  men  and  measures  rather  than 
keeping  close  to  part\-  lines.  He  has  membership  in  the  Ancient  Order 
United  W'orkmen  and  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  being  identi- 
fied with  Corley  Post.  Xo.  173,  of  which  he  is  senior  \'ice  commander. 


AUSTIN   C.   MUTZ. 

Austin  C.  Mutz,  the  well  known  nurseryman  at  Auburn,  Nebraska, 
is  a  native  of  the  Hoosier  state,  and  dates  his  birtli  at  Edinburg. 
February  18,  1850. 

]\Ir.  JMutz,  as  his  name  suggests,  is  of  German  origin.  His  grand- 
father and  grandmother  Mutz  were  natives  of  Germany.  Emigrating 
with  their  family  to  America,  they  settled  tirst  in  Pennsylvania  and 
subsequently  moved  farther  west,  locating  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  where 
they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  and  died,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years,  and  hers  seven  years  later,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven. 
They  left  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  John,  the  father  of 
Austin  C. ;  Jacob,  a  retired  farmer  living  near  Edinburg,  Indiana;  Adam, 
a  druggist,  died  in  Indiana,  in  1899,  leaving  a  family  of  sons  and 
daughters ;  Peter,  a  resident  of  Aberdeen,  South  Dakota ;  Abram,  a 
grocer  of  Edinburg,  Indiana,  is  married  and  has  a  son  and  daughter:  and 
Mary,  wife  of  a'  Mr.  Darner,  of  Dayton,  Ohio. 

John  Mutz,  the  eldest  of  the  above  named  family,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  was  eight  years  old  at  the  time  his  parents  moved 
to  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared.  Going  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man,  he 
was  there  married,  May  19,  1847,  to  Phoebe  \\'illiams,  a  native  of  that 
state,  born  in  1832,  daughter  of  Caleb  Williams,  an  Indiana  farmer  who 


1 6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

was  a  pioneer  to  Mills  count}',  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  old  age,  leaving 
widow,  six  daughters  and  one  son.  John  and  Phoebe  Alutz  became  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  as  follows :  G.  \Y.,  a  carpenter  and  contractor, 
Cass  county,  Nebraska;  Austin  C,  whose  name  heads  this  review; 
Walter,  a  farmer  of  Marjwille,  Missouri ;  William  A.,  a  farmer  of  Pen- 
der, Nebraska:  Otto,  a  large  land  owner,  ex-state  senator  and  publisher 
of  the  Western  Rancher,  Ainsworth,  Nebraska;  Albert  B.,  of  Auburn; 
Ann  Jeanette,  widow  of  John  Majors,  residing  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  and 
Hattie  M.,  wife  of  A.  T.  Stewart,  of  Chicago.  In  1856  John  Mutz  moved 
with  his  family  to  Mills  county,  Iowa,  and  the  following  year.  1857,  came 
to  Nebraska,  where  he  and  his  good  wife  reared  their  children  and  spent 
the  rest  of  their  lives,  their  wedded  life  covering  more  than  half  a  century. 
Pie  died  in  Chicago,  January  6,  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years; 
and  her  death  occurred  at  the  home  place  in  Auburn,  where  they  lived 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  February  13,  1899.  In  their  religious  views 
they  differed  somewhat,  Mrs.  Mutz  being  a  Methodist  and  Mr.  Mutz  a 
Lutheran.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  territorial  days  filled 
the  office  of  county  commissioner  of  Cass  county. 

Austin  C.  I^Iutz  received  his  schooling  at  Eight-Mile  Grove,  in  Cass 
county,  Nebraska.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
when  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  and  has  been 
variously  occupied,  his  attention  having  been  given  chiefly  to  farming 
and  the  nursery  business.  For  four  years  he  resided  at  Beatrice, 
Nebraska,  and  traveled  for  the  Phoenix  Nursery  of  Bloomington,  Illi- 
nois. For  twenty  years  he  has  resided  in  or  near  Auburn.  In  1893  he 
bought  tlie  ground  where  his  nursery  is  located,  and  where  in  1901  he 
built  the  pleasant  cottage  he  and  his  wife  occupy.  After  coming  into 
the  ownership  of  this  property  he  planted  an  orchard,  and  a  nursery  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  17 

one  hundred  thousand  trees,  and  here  he  has  since  been  doing  jjoth  a 
wliolesrUe  and  retail  business. 

July  2,  1S84,  Austin  C.  Mutz  married  Miss  Mary  Seybolt,  a  native 
of  Greenville,  Orange  county,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Luther  R. 
and  Harriet  (Moore)  Seybolt,  both  natives  of  Orange  county,  New  York, 
and  now  residents  of  Cass  county,  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Mutz  has  an  only 
brother,  John  B.  Seybolt.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Mutz  lost  their  only  child,  a 
daughter,  that  died  at  the  age  of  two  months,  August  31,  1888;  but  they 
have  an  adopted  child,  Otto  Mutz,  fifteen  years  of  age,  a  native  of  New 
York  and  a  son  of  German  parents. 

Politically  Mr.  Mutz  is  a  Bryan  Democrat.  He  has  always  been 
more  or  less  interested  in  educational  matters,  \\nien  a  young  man  he 
went  to  Je\\ell  county,  Kansas,  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land  and  built  a 
house,  and  in  his  own  house  taught  a  school.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Auburn  three  vears.     Mrs.  Mutz  is  a  Methodist. 


JOHN  HAMILTON  SHOOK. 

John  Hamilton  Shook,  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  is  a  man  whose  more 
than  threescore  years  of  life  cover  a  varied  experience,  including  a  Civil 
war  service,  numerous  travels  and  frontier  incidents.  Mr.  Shook  came 
to  Nebraska  at  an  early  day  and  has  done  his  part  toward  bringing 
about  the  development  which  has  been  wrought  here.  A  detailed  review 
of  his  army  life  and  his  pioneer  and  later  experience  would  require  a 
large  volume,  and  would  be  interesting  reading,  too,  but  in  this  connec- 
tion for  want  of  space  we  can  present  only  a  brief  sketch. 

John  Hamilton  Shook  was  born  in  Carlinville,  Illinois,  July  31,  1838, 
and  traces  his  ancestry  on  the  paternal  side  back  to  his  great-grandfather 


i8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Shook,  who  was  of  German  birth  and  who  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  farming  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  James 
Shook,  his  father,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1797,  and 
was  reared  in  Tennessee.  He  died  in  Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  at  the 
age  of  forty-five  years.  Abraham  Shook,  the  father  of  James,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  about  1775  and  died  in  Tennessee  in  1845.  He  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister.  Of  his  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  married  and  reared  families,  and  two  of  his  sons  were  ministers  of 
the  gospel — Isaac,  a  Baptist  minister  in  Ohio,  and  Abraham,  a  Presby- 
terian, preaching  in  Tennessee  and  Indiana.  Each  of  these  two  sons 
lived  to  good  old  age  and  each  was  the  father  of  four  children.  James 
Shook  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  namely :  James,  a  farmer  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  leaving  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters;  Ellen,  wife  of  Wilson  T.  Stout,  died  in  1863.  leaving  four 
children:  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Eli  Daily,  died  in  1902,  leaving  seven 
children ;  and  Robinson,  who  went  west  early  in  the  fifties  and  was  hon- 
ored with  a  seat  in  the  Oregon  territorial  and  state  legislatures,  died 
some  years  ago,  leaving  three  sons.  In  Carlinville,  Illinois,  in  1836, 
James  Shook  married  for  his  second  wife  a  Mrs.  Gcxid,  widow  of  Ezekiel 
Good,  and  daughter  of  a  British  soldier  whose  name  was  Knickerbocker 
but  was  afterward  changed  to  Bird.  She  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1800.  B}'  her  first  husband  she  iiad  one  son  and  three  daughters,  viz. : 
Sarah  Ann,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Bogess,  died  leaving  two  daughters  and  one 
son;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Bennett  Solomon,  died  about  i860  in  Girard, 
Illinois,  leaving  two  daughters;  Minerva,  wife  of  Lewis  Johnson,  of 
Carlinville,  Illinois,  has  one  son  and  one  daughter;  and  Thomas  Good, 
a  bachelor,  is  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Arkansas.  The  children  of  the 
second   marriage  of  James   Shook  were   four   sons,   as    follows:   John 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  ly 

Hamilton  and  William  B.,  twins.  The  latter  is  a  resident  of  Lovington, 
Moultrie  county,  Illinois,'  where  he  is  at  this  writing  filling  the  office  of 
probate  judge;  George  R.,  now  of  Grand  Valley,  Colorado,  was  for  a 
number  of  years  a  resident  of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  where  he 
figured  prominently  in  public  affairs,  serving  six  years  as  county  surveyor 
and  five  terms  in  the  territorial  legislature,  in  both  upper  and  lower 
houses.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  served  in  the  Seventh 
and  One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  regiments  of  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  has  reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters. 
The  youngest  brother  of  our  subject,  Albert,  died  at  Hillsdale,  Nebraska, 
in  1882,  of  disease  contracted  while  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war. 
He  left  three  sons.  James  Shook,  the  father  of  this  large  family,  died 
in  middle  life,  as  already  stated,  and  his  widow  did  not  long  survive  him, 
her  death  rjccurring  in  185 1.  Side  by  side  they  rest  in  the  little  cemetery 
in  Carlinville,  Illinois.  Both  were  church  members,  she  a  Presbyterian 
and  he  a  Baptist. 

John  Hamilton  Shook  had  limitetl  ach'antages  for  obtaining  an 
education  in  his  youth.  When  only  seven  years  old  he  was  put  to  work 
driving  a  yoke  of  steers.  His  mother  dying  when  he  was  only  thirteen 
vears  old,  he  went  to  live  with  his  half-sister.  j\lrs  Johnson,  and  remained 
a  member  of  her  family  until  he  was  twenty.  Then,  in  March,  1859,  he 
came  to  Nebraska,  in  com])any  with  his  brother  William.  They  made 
the  journey  by  boat  to  Kansas  City  and  were  en  route  for  Pike's  Peak. 
Hearing  discouraging  reports  from  Pike's  Peak,  they  changed  their 
plans  and  came  to  southeastern  Nebraska.  Here  they  bought  six  yoke 
of  oxen  and  plows  and  sjDent  the  summer  in  breaking  prairie.  Tliey 
entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  each  giving  his  note  for  two 
hundred  dollars  for  one  year,  at  thirty  per  cent,  interest.  When  they 
landed  here  John  H.  had  one  hundred  and  thirtv  dollars  and  his  brother 


20  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ninety  dollars,  not  enough  with  which  to  purchase  their  teams,  but  tlieir 
credit  was  good  and  they  went  in  debt  and  in  due  time  discharged  their 
obhgations.  That  fall  they  returned  to  Illinois,  and  in  the  spring  of 
the  following  year  John  H.  came  back  to  Nebraska,  alone,  and  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  brother-in-law's  land.  In  i860  the  crop  was  poor,  but 
it  was  better  the  next  year  and  industry  and  good  management  brought 
success  to  Mr.  Shook.  He  became  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,  eleven  acres  of  which  were  timl)er  land.  At  this  time  civil  war 
was  inaugurated,  and  Mr.  Shook  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fifteenth  Iowa 
Volunteer  Infantry,  October  10,  1861,  and  served  until  January,  1865. 
His  service  included  thirty-six  different  engagements,  prominent  among 
them  being  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  the 
siege  of  Atlanta. 

.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Shook  returned  to  Nebraska  and  en- 
gaged in  the  sawmilling  business  on  the  ^Missouri  river.  His  brother 
also  became  interested  in  this  business  and  they  were  associated  together 
under  the  firm  name  of  Shook  &  Brother,  until  1884,  operating  exten- 
sively, owning  no  less  than  three  thousand  acres  in  Nebraska  at  one 
time  and  employing  forty  men.  They  also  owned  three  thousand  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Texas.  In  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  where 
Mr.  Shook  made  his  home  for  some  years,  he  owned  a  thousand  acres  of 
land  and  annually  fed  and  sold  two  hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  has 
disposed  of  all  his  holdings,  however,  and  at  this  writing  has  only  the 
five-acre  place  in  Auburn,  on 'which  he  built  his  present  residence  in 
1890.  He  has  a  rented  farm  near  Auburn,  where  he  keeps  a  number  of 
horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 

Mr.  Shook  married,  in  August,  1870,  Miss  Ella  Pike,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  born  in  1852;  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth  of 
five  children.     Their  eldest  son,   William,   is  a  practicing  physician  at 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  21 

Shubert,  Richardson  county,  Nebraska.  He  has  a  wife  and  one  daugh- 
ter. The  next  in  order  of  birth  is  Arthur,  a  postal  clerk  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad.  Charles  T.  is  attending-  college  at  Bellevue,  Nebraska, 
and  John  R.  is  at  home.       A  daughter  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Shook  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  During  his  long  resi- 
dence in  Nebraska  he  has  many  times  been  honored  with  official  position, 
and  in  whatever  office  he  has  been  called  he  has  responded  with  faithful 
and  efficient  service.  He  was  constable  in  i860.  For  seven  years  he- 
was  postmaster  of  Hillsdale,  was  on  the  school  board  twenty-nine  years, 
and  twelve  years  was  county  commissioner,  elected  first  in  1S74.  Tn 
1895  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature,  and  while 
a  member  of  that  bodv  served  on  the  Soldiers'  Relief  Committee. 


W.  H.  RICHARDS. 

W.  H.  Richards,  attorney  at  law  of  Liberty,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the 
successful  representatives  of  his  profession  in  this  portion  of  the  state. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1894.  He  handles  all  kinds  of  legal  mat- 
ters, and  has  conducted  cases  in  many  parts  of  the  state,  as  well  as  in  the 
courts  of  Kansas  and  Iowa.  He  is  associated  with  his  brother,  L.  S. 
Richards,  in  the  real  estate  business,  and  they  are  largely  interested  in 
realty  in  Wyoming,  South  Dakota,  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  J-  T.  Rich- 
ards, another  brother,  is  one  of  the  successful  dealers  in  pumps  and  wind- 
mills at  Liberty.  i\Irs.  Clara  Dobbs,  of  Beatrice,  is  a  sister  of  Air. 
Richards. 

W.  H.   Richards  was  born  in  Atchison  countv,  Missouri,  near  Rock- 


22  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

port,  August  27,  1853,  and  comes  of  an  old  and  honorable  family.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  Nebraska  since  1859,  so  that  he  is  one  of  the  oldest 
living  residents  of  a  commonwealth  which  was  not  admitted  to  the  Union 
till  nine  years  later.  The  Richards  brothers  are  owners  of  the  Central 
Hotel  at  Liberty,  and  for  a  time  operated  it.  All  are  active  and  progres- 
sive business  men,  and  always  identify  themselves  with  movements  cal- 
culated to  be  for  the  best  interest  of  Liberty.  They  are  stanch  Republi- 
cans in  politics.  Charles  R.  Richards,  an  elder  brother,  enlisted  in  the 
war  of  the  rebellion,  where  he  gave  up  his  life  in  defense  of  his  countiy. 
In  1900  Mr.  W.  H.  Richards  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  F. 
Thorp,  of  Beatrice.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  F.  Thorp,  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Richards  is  a  graduate  of  the  North- 
western Business  College  of  Beatrice,  and  received  her  diploma  from 
that  institution  just  previous  to  her  marriage.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards 
has  been  born  one  child,  Wilma  Ruth. 


WILLLAM  GAEDE. 

William  Gaede,  cashier  of  the  Nemaha  County  Bank  at  Auburn. 
Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  prosperous  and  aljle  business  men  of  the  county 
and  is  a  member  of  a  well  known  family  in  snutlieastern  Xebraska.  All 
the  family  were  natives  of  Germany,  and  the  name  has  been  known  in 
certain  parts  of  Germany  for  many  generations.  William  Gaede,  the 
grandfather  of  the  Auburn  lianker,  was  a  well-to-do  man,  aufl  wrote  his 
name  Gade,  with  a  cliaracter  over  the  letter  a,  as  did  also  the  parents  of 
William. 

Dietrich  and  Elizabeth  (Pagels)  Gaede,  the  parents  of  William 
Gaede.  were  born  near  Berlin,  Germanv,  where  also  all  their  children  were 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  23 

born,  and  in  1870  they  crossed  the  Atlantic  on  the  good  ship  Harmonia, 
which  was  making  her  tliird  trip,  in  tlie  then  short  period  of  ten  days. 
They  brought  with  tliem  their  five  children,  as  follows  Lena,  the  wife 
of  H.  M.  Mears  (and  their  history  is  further  detailed  in  this  sketch)  ; 
Louise,  widow  of  William  Hewekerl ;  Fredericka,  wife  of  H.  H.  Bartling, 
who  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  as  mayor  of  Nebraska  City :  August, 
who  went  to  the  Black  Hills  in  1876,  where  he  died  a  few  years  later; 
anil  William.  The  parents  both  inherited  property  and  were  well-to-do 
when  they  came  to  America.  They  located  in  Peru  in  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,  and  invested  in  farm  and  city  property  in  this  state  and  Kan- 
sas. Dietrich  Gaede  was  a  modest,  retiring  man,  and,  being  unacquainted 
with  business  conditions  in  this  country,  he  was  unsuccessful  in  some  of 
his  ventures.  He  and  his  wife  were  worthy  and  refined  people  and  gave 
their  children  the  higher  advantages  in  the  fatherland,  as  well  as  in 
America.  August  was  in  the  Episcopal  Boys'  College  in  Nebraska  Cit\-, 
and  William  was  in  the  State  Normal  at  Peru.  The  family  all  have 
musical  talent,  both  instrumental  and  vocal,  and  are  charming  and  de- 
lightful people,  in  every  relation  of  life.  The  parents  were  Lutherans, 
and  their  children  are  all  reared  in  that  faith.  Dietrich  Gaede  was  a 
Republican,  as  is  also  his  son  William.  The  former  died  in  Nebraska 
City  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  April  17,  1899,  ^-^  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  and  his  wife  followed  him  six  months  later,  on  October  18, 
and  they  both  sleep  in  the  beautiful  Mount  Vernon  cemetery,  in  Peru, 
Nebraska.  An  imported  Olitic  granite  monument  marks  their  grave, 
and,  as  a  family  monument,  the  names  of  Gaede  and  Mears  are  both 
carved  upon  it. 

Mr.  William  Gaede  was  born  in  Germany,  November  28,  1861,  and 
in  common  with  the  other  children,  enjoyed  good  educational  advantages 
and  parental  instruction,  especially  from  the  mother,  who  was  exception- 


24  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ally  devoted  to  "Willie,"  as  she  loved  to  call  him.  As  is  common  in 
Germany,  he  had  three  names,  Herman  Frederick  William.  He  has 
been  in  the  banking  business  since  1892.  Previous  to  this  he  was 
manager  of  the  business  of  his  brother-in.-law,  H.  ]\I.  ]\Iears,  in  Peru. 
The  latter  was  the  leading  business  man  of  the  place  for  twenty-five  years, 
a  man  who  had  made  his  own  way  to  prosperity  and  a  high  position 
m  the  business  affairs  of  his  county.  He  had  a  department  store  of 
general  merchandise,  besides  handling  lumber,  coal  and  briclc.  Mr. 
Gaede  was  in  the  responsible  position  of  manager  of  this  concern,  and 
while  attending  school  kept  the  books  of  the  establishment  and  the  pri- 
vate banking  concern  connected  with  it.  He  left  Peru  on  August  i,  1892, 
and  became  one  of  the  stockholders  and  the  first  cashier  of  the  bank  at 
Johnson,  Nemaha  county,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.  Pie  re- 
turned to  Peru  on  the  death  of  Mr.  IMears.  and  took  charge  of  the  latter's 
estate.  Affairs  were  complicated  and  required  all  his  business  ability  to 
settle  satisfactorily,  but  he  gave  a  m^ist  careful  administration,  and  after 
the  entire  matter  was  straightened  out,  in  1901  he  organized  the  Nemaha 
County  Bank,  together  with  A.  M.  Engles,  William  Tynon,  and  others, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  forty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Engles  is  president, 
Fred  Lampe,  vice  president,  and  Mr.  Gaede  is  cashier.  The  bank  was 
opened  for  business  in  January,  1902,  in  the  fine  brick  building  with 
stone  front,  one  of  the  substantial  business  buildings  in  Auburn,  and 
since  that  time  the  institution  has  increased  its  patronage  rapidly,  and  is 
one  of  the  solid  banks  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Gaede  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Lena  M.  Mears,  live  together  in  their 
pleasant  home  in  Auburn.     Mrs.   Mears  was  married   to  Mr.    H.   M. 
Mears  on  November  5,  1872.    The  latter  was  born  in  Germany,  near  the  ' 
borders  of  Holland,  and  his  parents  spoke  both  the  Dutch  and  German 
languages.     He  was  brought  to  this  country  when  a  baby,  and  his  father, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  25 

an  early  settler  in  \Aestern  Missouri,  at  a  time  when  the  principal  market 
was  St.  Louis,  died  in  that  city,  from  the  plague,  leaving  his  widow  and 
three  sons  and  one  daughter  with  a  good  estate.  Mrs.  Mears  has  a 
foster  daughter,  named  Louise  Wilhelmina  Alears;  she  is  a  daughter 
of  Mrs.  Mears'  sister,  Mrs.  Louise  Hewekerl,  and  has  heen  the  joy  and 
comfort  of  the  IMears  home  since  she  was  three  years  old.  Louise,  or 
"Lulu"  as  she  is  familiarly  known  to  her  loved  ones  and  friends,  is  a 
most  worthy  young  lady,  possessing  a  pleasing  personality  and  a  lovely 
character,  having  received  careful  training  in  early  life,  followed  by  a 
college  education,  supplemented  by  delightful  travels  in  America  and 
Europe.  At  present  she  has  the  chair  of  gfeography  in  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Moorhead.  Minnesota,  and  likes  the  "Northland"  very  much. 
Miss  Mears  is  the  pride  of  her  "Uncle  Will"  and  "Mamma  Mears." 


GEORGE  T.  DUSTIN. 

.  George  T.  Dustin,  the  liveryman  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  is  one  of 
the  successful  and  respected  business  men  of  the  town.  Lie  was  born  in 
Dubois  county,  Indiana,  September  11,  1844,  son  of  Timothy  and  Louisa 
T.  (Combs)  Dustin,  the  former  a  native  of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts, 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  Hannah  Dustin,  and  the  latter  born  in  Ten- 
nessee in  1816.  Timothy  Dustin  was  by  trade  a  ship  carpenter.  In 
August,  before  the  birth  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  in  September,  Tim- 
othy w'as  making  a  trip  on  the  Ohio  river,  Avas  taken  with  cramp  colic, 
and  died  on  the  boat.  Thus  George  T.  is  of  posthumous  birth.  There 
were  four  children  in  the  family — J^inies  C.,  John  M.,  Amanda  and 
Laura  F.  All  grew  up  and  married  and  reared  families.  Amanda,  w^ife 
of  Daniel  Macken,  died  at  Denver,  Colorado,  July  19,  1898,  at  the  age  of 


26  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

fifty-seven  years.  James  C.  died  at  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  a  year 
later,  leaving  eight  children,  their  mother's  death  having  preceded  his. 
John  M.  died  in  October,  1901,  in  Lancaster  county,  Nebraska,  leaving 
three  children.  Laura  F.  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Metcalf,  of  Auburn, 
Nebraska,  and  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  graduates 
of  the  State  Normal  School  and  three  of  the  State  University;  two  of 
the  sons,  Clyde  and  Charles  Dustin  Metcalf,  are  ministers  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  in  western  Nebraska. 

.\i  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Dustin  and  her  little  family 
were  left  in  limited  circumstances,  she  having  only  eight  hundred  dollars. 
She  remained  in  Indiana  two  years  and  then,  in  1846,  she  moved  to 
Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  she  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  and  where 
she  reared  her  family,  the  children  doing  their  part  to  assist  in  the  sup- 
port, and  when  possible  attending  the  district  school  near  their  home. 
AVhen  he  was  only  ten  years  old  George  T.  "worked  out"  and  brought 
home  to  his  mother  his  earnings.  Here  they  lived  until  i860,  when  the 
Dustin  family,  in  company  with  others,  emigrated  to  Nebraska,  making 
the  journey  by  wagon  in  true  emigrant  style  and  being  three  weeks 
en  route,  arriving  at  Peru,  Nebraska,  on  September  ist.  They  brought 
with  them  two  horses  and  three  cows,  and  George  T.,  then  a  youth  of 
sixteen,  walked  most  of  the  way.  Peru  then  could  boast  of  about  ten 
houses.  The  Dustin  family  took  up  their  abode  in  the  village,  and  rented 
land  for  farming  purposes.  May  9,  1862,  the  mother  died,  and  the  family 
then  scattered. 

At  that  time  a  profitable  business  in  the  west  was  teaming,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1863  George  T.  Dustin  was  employed  by  Ingraham  & 
Christie,  at  the  rate  of  twenty  dollars  per  month,  to  drive  six  yoke  of 
oxen  to  Colorado  Springs,  and  was  gone  from  Peru  eight  months.  The 
next  year  he  drove  four  yoke  of  oxen  from  St.  Joseph,   Missouri,  to 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  27 

Montana,  wliere  he  remained  four  years,  employed  there  in  ch-i\-ing  mule 
teams,  hauling  freight.  On  his  return  trip  to  Nebraska,  in  1868,  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  brother  John,  as  he  also  was  on  some  other  occasions, 
and  they  had  many  interesting  experiences.  From  1869  to  1875  Mr. 
Dustin  was  occupied  in  breaking  prairie  in  Nemaha  county,  at  $3.50  to 
$4.00  per  acre.  From  his  youth  up  he  was  a  hustler  and  a  money- 
maker, Ijut  for  some  years  he  did  not  learn  the  worth  of  money  and  the 
importance  of  saving  it.  In  1874  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  liver}^ 
business  in  Peru.  He  rented  a  barn,  owned  one  horse  and  buggy  and 
went  in  debt  for  two  more  horses,  and  continued  in  business  there  until 
1 88 1.  In  this  venture  he  saved  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  with 
which  he  then  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the 
Peru  bottoms.  He  cultivated  this  land  one  year.  The  season  was  a  wet 
one,  however,  and  the  crop  was  not  a  success  and  he  was  glad  to  sell  out 
at  a  loss.  Next  we  find  him  in  Brown  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  in- 
vested in  another  farm.  He  spent  four  years  in  Brown  county  and  during 
that  time  owned  five  farms,  all  of  which  he  sold  at  a  profit.  On  Thanks- 
giving day,  1889,  h^  disposed  of  his  last  farm  in  that  county  and  in  Janu- 
ary of  the  following  year  came  to  Auburn  and  bought  the  Minnick  trans- 
fer line,  the  outfit  consisting  of  six  horses,  two  omnibuses,  a  buggy  and 
wagon,  and  a  barn  forty  by  forty  feet  in  dimensions,  the  purchase  price 
being  $3,100.  As  showing  the  success  with  which  he  has  met  in  this 
business,  we  state  that  Mr.  Dustin's  establishment  now  consists  of  frame 
and  brick  buildings,  the  former  forty  by  eighty  feet,  and  the  latter  thirty- 
six  by  one  hundred  and  forty  feet,  and  his  barns  are  stocked  with  good 
hor.ses,  usually  to  the  number  of  twenty-five.  Each  year  he  buys  and 
sells  many  horses.  'Wr.  Dustin  also  owns  his  home  and  has  a  (|uarter  of 
a  block  where  he  exercises  his  horses. 

Mr.  Dustin  married.  January  8,  1880,  Miss  Hulda  Capwell,  a  native 


28  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1861,  daughter  of  James  Capwell  of 
that  place.  By  this  marriage  are  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz. ; 
Winnifred,  Soame,  Plann,  Ralph,  Laura,  Nellie  S.  and  John.  Miss 
Winnifred  is  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Auburn. 

Politically  Mr.  Dustin  is  a  Republican.  He  served  niiie  years  as 
constable,  and  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  the  office  of  county 
commissioner,  but  withdrcAv  his  name  in  favor  of  C.  E.  Ord,  the  present 
county  commissioner.  Fraternally  Mr.  Dustin  is  an  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  his  religious  creed  is  that  of  the  Lutheran  church,  while  Mrs.  Dustin 
is  a  Baptist. 


WILLLAM   WHITE.    • 

William  White  is  a  citizen  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  of  twenty-three 
years'  standing,  and  with  a  life  record  of  efficiency,  integrity  and  honora- 
ble worth  in  every  capacity  in  which  he  has  been  called  upon  to  act.  He 
is  esteemed  not  only  for  the  part  he  has  taken  in  business  affairs  since 
coming  to  this  state,  but  also  as  one  from  a  border  state  who  responded _ 
to  the  appeal  of  his  government  during  the  Civil  war  and  followed  the 
flag  in  many  campaigns  and  took  part  in  nuich  liard  service. 

Mr.  White  was  born  in  Greene  comity,  Tennessee,  JNLay  8,  1845,  ^"d 
was  a  member  of  an  old  and  aristocratic  southern  family.  His  father, 
Abraham  White,  was  born  and  reared  in  Tennessee,  and  there  married 
Miss  Nancy  Jennings,  also  of  a  good  southern  family.  They  had  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  three  sons  were  soldiers 
in  the  Civil  war,  namely:  Joseph,  now  deceased,  who  was  in  a  Missouri 
regiment;  William;  and  John.  The  parents  both  died  in  Tennessee,  the 
mother  in  middle  life  and  the  father  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  29 

Mr.  White  was  reared  on  a  Tennessee  farm  and  early  learned  the 
virntes  of  indnstry  and  thrift.  He  was  still  a  boy  in  years  when  the 
war  came  on,  bnt  Avas  possessed  of  the  fiery  ardor  of  his  race,  and  on 
November  7,  1862,  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Fourth  East  Tennessee  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  under  Colonel  Patterson  and  Captain  West.  The  regi- 
ment saw  much  active  service  and  some  hard  fighting,  and  during  all 
his  ser\-ice  "Sir.  White  proved  himself  a  bra\-e  and  dutiful  soldier,  seldom 
missing  a  rollcall,  never  negligent  of  duty,  and  never  flinching  from  the 
danger  of  shot  and  shell  or  the  exposure  and  weariness  of  marching  and 
the  camp.  After  the  war  h.e  acted  as  manager  of  the  farm  until  1874, 
and  in  June  of  that  >-ear  moved  to  Illinois,  and  later  came  to  Nebraska. 
He  lived  about  three  years  in  Pawnee  City,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
in  Beatrice.  For  a  number  of  years  he  conducted  a  hotel,  and  was  one 
of  the  m<ist  popular  men  in  that  line  of  business  in  southeastern  Nebraska. 
During  the  war  he  contracted  several  diseases,  and  has  been  a  severe 
sufferer  from  chronic  rheumatism  ever  since,  so  that  his  efficiency  in 
many  ways  has  been  much  impaired. 

I\Ir.  White  was  married  in  Tennessee  in  1866  to  Miss  IMary  J. 
White  (not  related),  who  has  been  his  faithful  helpmate  for  nearly 
forty  years.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  three  children :  Lydia,  Josie, 
and  Mrs.  Ella  Hill,  of  Barber  coimtv,  Kansas. 


THOMAS  B.  SKEEN. 

Thomas  B.  Skeen,  who  was  ch.ristened  Thomas  Hart  Benton  Skeen 
after  the  great  Senator  Benton,  for  whom  grandfather  Blevins  was  a 
warm  admirer,  is  one  of  the  oldest  li\'ing  residents  of  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska.     He  was  a  bov  of  seventeen  on  his  father's  farm  near  Nemaha 


30  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

city  when  the  surveyors  were  running  the  base  line  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember of  1855.  He  was  born  in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  on  a  part 
of  the  Platte  purchase,  on  January  19,  1838. 

The  family  originated  in  England,  among  the  English  nobility,  and 
had  its  seat  in  Scotland  for  many  generations.  Great-grandfather  Skeen 
was  the  ancestor  who  came  from  Scotland  and  founded  this  particular 
branch  of  the  family  in  America.  Jesse  Skeen,  the  grandfather  of  Thomas 
B.  Skeen,  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  November  24,  1764,  but  emigrated 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  was  a  farmer  and  distiller.  He  and  his  wife, 
Kezia  Taylor,  who  was  also  Scotch,  born  in  1777,  reared  fotir  sons  and 
four  daughters,  and  two  of  the  latter  joined  the  Mormons  and  went  to 
Salt  Lake  City.     These  grandparents  died  in  old  age  in  Tennessee. 

Alexander  D.  Skeen,  the  father  of  Thomas  B.  Skeen,  was  born  in 
Sumner  county.  Tennessee,  near  Gallatin,  December  18.  1815.  and  died 
in  Nemaha  city,  Nebraska,  in  the  early  spring  of  1892.  His  wife  was 
Mary  Blevins,  who  was  born  in  Green  county,  Kentucky,  in  1817,  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mrs.  (Roberts)  Blevins,  who  were  Ken- 
tucky farmers,  and  the  former  was  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Alexander 
D.  Skeen  and  his  wife  were  married  at  the  respective  ages  of  nineteen 
and  sixteen,  and  they  began  farm  life  near  Independence,  Missouri.  He 
had  left  home  in  his  teens,  and  became  a  Mississippi  river  trader,  going 
to  St.  I-ouis  at  an  early  day,  and  it  was  there  that  he  met  his  wife.  After 
the  Platte  purchase  was  opened  he  went  viewing,  and  an  old  French 
trader,  Roubidoux,  urged  him  to  take  a  claim  on  the  Missouri  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Blacksnake,  which  was  the  ultimate  location  of  the  city  of 
St.  Joseph,  but  he  was  not  pleased  with  that  locality,  and  took  a  claim  in 
the  dense  timber,  seven  miles  southeast  of  the  present  St.  Joseph.  He 
built  the  log  cabin  in  which  his  son  Thomas  B.  was  born  in  the  following 
winter,  and  as  he  was  poor  he  had  to  work  for  wages  to  keep  the  wolf 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  31 

from  the  door,  often  cutting  and  splitting  rails  for  twenty-five  cent  per 
hundred.  He  enjoyed  the  pioneer  experience  of  going  sixty  miles  to  mill, 
with  his  blind  horse  Joaded  with  corn.  He  found  this  life  too  arduous, 
and  shortly  afterward  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Atch- 
ison county,  Missouri,  where  he  began  life  anew,  but  still  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances. He  moved  to  Nebraska  in  1854,  and  he  died  on  the  old 
homestead  which  he  had  settled  forty  years  before,  and  his  wife  followed 
him  in  1899.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church,  in 
which  he  was  an  elder,  and  he  had  served  in  the  militia  which  routed  the 
Mormons  from  Jackson  county.  Missouri.  He  was  a  quiet,  unobtrusive 
man.  living  at  peace  with  his  neighbors,  and  attended  strictly  to  his  own 
business. 

There  were  eleven  children  born  to  these  parents,  but  a  son  died 
in  infancy.  Mrs.  Margaret  Snow,  a  widow  of  Auburn,  was  born  in 
Buchanan  county.  Missouri:  Jesse  died  at  the  age  of  twelve;  the  third  in 
order  of  birth  is  Thomas  B. ;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  David  Tourtelott, 
of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  they  have  six  children;  Lucy  Jane,  deceased 
Avife  of  James  Hiatt,  left  four  children;  Richard  is  a  retired  farmer  at 
Red  Cloud,  Nebraska,  and  has  two  daughters ;  Kenyon  died  in  Arkan- 
sas in  1896,  leaving  his  wife,  a  son  and  two  daughters;  Mary,  wife  of 
Henry  Shubert,  her  second  husband,  li\es  in  this  count)'  and  has  four 
children ;  John  W.  is  at  Broken  Bow,  Custer  county,  Nebraska,  and  has 
one  S(5n  and  one  daughter;  Nancy  Ann  is  the  wife  of  James  Linn,  of 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Thosmas  B.  Skeen  was  reared  and  inured  to  farm  life  from  an  earl} 
age.  Owing  to  his  father's  financial  circumstances  and  the  primitive 
surroundings  in  which  they  lived,  his  education  was  meager,  and  the  old 
schoolhouse  in  which  it  was  obtained  was  of  the  fashion  now  passed 
from  history,  being  roughly  made,  with  puncheon  floor,  slab  seats  and 


32  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

fireplace,  and  other  equipments  and  appliances  known  to  tlie  schoolboy  of 
sixty  years  ago.  In  1854  he  and  his  father  came  to  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,  where  they  laid  out  a  claim  and  built  a  double  log  house  and 
cattle  shed.  They  were  among  the  first  comers,  and  "batched"  it  the  first 
winter,  as  the  family  did  not  come  until  the  following  April.  The  In- 
dians had  not  yet  removed  from  their  old  camping  grounds,  but  they  li\-cd 
at  peace  with  the  whites,  their  only  depredations  being  the  stealing  of 
corn  once  in  awhile,  nor  where  they  polite  in  their  visits  nor  ever  back- 
ward in  begging  for  food.  The  first  winter  that  ]\Ir.  Skeen  spent  there 
was  a  hard  one,  the  deep  snow  making  existaice  for  the  cattle  especially 
precarious,  and  some  of  their  sheep  perished,  the  red  men  eating  the  dead 
animals  in  the  spring. 

JNIr.  Skeen  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1859  was  among  the  stampeders  to  Pike's  Peak.  Den- 
ver then  had  about  twelve  houses,  and  from  there  his  party  of  eight 
went  to  the  Clear  Creek  and  Boulder  region.  They  were  turned  back 
by  the  deep  snows  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  and  established 
claims  at  Twelve  Mile  Diggings,  and  they  have  since  been  thankful  for 
the  outcome  of  the  expedition,  for  had  they  reached  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains  their  bones  would  have  later  been  found  there  by  some  subse- 
quent wanderers.  After  spending  one  summer  in  this  new  experience, 
Mr.  Skeen  returned  to  what  seemed  God's  country,  in  Nebraska.  But  he 
was  not  satisfied  with  his  western  experience,  and  he  soon  afterward  en- 
gaged in  freighting,  taking  about  ten  wagons,  drawn  by  four  or  six 
oxen  or  two  or  four  horses,  and  loaded  with  flour,  bacon  and  other  pro- 
visions, to  Denver  and  other  parts  of  the  state,  where  he  sold  the  flour 
for  sixteen  dollars  per  hundred,  his  corn  for  nine  cents  a  pound  and 
other  prices  in  proportion.  He  began  this  enterprise  on  borrowed 
money,  and  at  the  end  of  four  years  quit  with  two  thousand  dollars  to  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  33 

good.  He  had  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  trading  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  wild  prairie  toward  it  and  borrowing  three  hundred  dol- 
lars at  five  per  cent  interest  per  month.  He  and  his  family  moved  on  this 
property  in  1861,  and  in  the  spring  of  1865  he  sold  out  for  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars  and  went  to  Jackson  county,  Missouri.  He  soon  returned, 
however,  and  invested  in  a  flouring  mill  two  miles  east  of  Auburn.  He 
conducted  this  with  success  for  nine  years,  and  in  1873  sold  his  half  inter- 
est in  it  for  ten  thousand  dollars.  During  the  following  summer  he  was 
in  the  Northwest  Pacific  coast  country  for  the  purpose  of  locating  land, 
but  in  the  end  came  back  to  Nebraska,  and  settled  on  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  acres  of  improved  land,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  stock 
business.  In  1879  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  near  Nemaha  city,  and 
from  then  until  1898  engaged  in  the  cattle-feeding  business,  shipping 
about  five  carloads  each  year.  He  moved  into  Auburn  in  1888,  farming 
by  proxy  for  one  year  and  then  came  back  to  the  twd  hundred  and  ciglitv 
acres  three  miles  southwest  of  Nemaha  City,  but  a  year  later  he  sold  this 
for  fifty  dollars  an  acre,  which  was  then  the  top-notch  price  for  land. 
He  then  bought  two  farms  nearer  Auburn,  and  in  1892  built  his  good 
home  on  a  quarter  of  block  of  city  property.  He  owns  these  two  farms, 
for  which  he  paid  forty-five  dollars  an  acre,  besides  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  one  mile  north  of  Howe,  for  which  he  paid  fifty-four  dollars 
an  acre.  He  has  since  refused  sevent3^-five  dollars  an  acre  for  some  of  his 
land,  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  prosperous  landowners  of  the  county,  all 
of  which  he  has  made  by  his  own  well  directed  efforts,  beginning  with 
nothing  at  the  start  in  life.  Diligence,  perseverance  and  honorable  meth- 
ods of  business  dealing  have  brought  these  rewards  to  one  of  the  best 
known  pioneers  and  citizens  of  Nemaha  county. 

On  October  10,  i860,  Mr.  Skeen  was  married  to  Miss  Eunice  Harger, 
who  was  born  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Jarias  and  Elizabeth 


34  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

(Wickersham)  Harger,  who  came  to  Iowa  from  Indiana  at  an  early 
day,  and  the  latter  was  connected  with  the  family  which  settled  Yellville, 
Arkansas,  in  the  early  history  of  that  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skeen  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  January  14, 
1862,  died  when  two  years  old;  Eunice  Eulalie,  born  April  7,  1864,  is  the 
wife  of  James  Armstrong  and  has  one  son;  Ada  Frances,  born  March 
19,  18^7,  is  the  present  wife  of  Riley  Turney,  residing  on  one  of  her 
father's  farms,  and  she  has  one  son  by  her  first  husband,  James  Whit- 
comb  Fairbanks;  George  B.,  born  September  13,  1869,  is  in  Grant  county, 
Oklahoma,  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  his  father  bought  him, 
and  he  has  one  son  and  three  daughters;  Lydia  May,  born  May  25,  1872, 
is  the  wife  of  William  Harris,  of  South  Auburn,  and  has  one  daughter, 
and  she  was  a  teacher  before  her  marriage;  Ford,  born  July  31,  1877, 
is  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  and  has  one  daughter ;  Adelbert  died  in 
1892  at  the  age  of  eleven;  Cora  Ethel  died  in  1874,  one  year  old.  Mr. 
Skeen  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has  been  an  official  for  many 
years.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


CAPTAIN  C.  F.  NYE. 

Captain  C.  F.  Nye  is  one  of  the  well  known  citizens  of  Clay  township, 
Pawnee  county,  and  he  is  also  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  part  of 
Nebraska,  having  come  here  in  1867.  He  was  born  in  Highgate,  Frank- 
lin county,  Vermont,  December  17,  1838.  He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  Nye, 
born  at  Keene,  New  Hampshire,  December  17,  1810,  and  who  lives  at 
St.  Albans,  Vermont,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  Nelson  Nye  is 
a  son  of  Benjamin  Nye  and  a  Miss  Wright,  whose  father  was  a  soldier 


C.    F.    NYE 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  35 

in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Nelson  Nye  was  reared  in  New  Hampshire 
on  a  farm  and  married  Eliza  Fairbanks,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Fairbanks  of  New  England  stock.  Nelson 
and  Eliza  Nye  moved  to  Highgate  after  their  marriage  and  located  upon 
a  farm.  The  children  born  to  them  were  as  follows :  Laura  F.  Marsh, 
of  Sheldon,  A'emiont ;  Benjamin,  of  Highgate,  Vermont;  Chester  F. ; 
and  Albert,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Highgate,  who  served  in  the  Tenth 
Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry  and  made  a  fine  record  during  the  Civil 

127ilC2 

Mr.  C.  F.  Nye  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  and  was  early 
taught  that  industry,  thrift  and  integrity  are  essentials  to  real  success. 
His  education  was  an  excellent  one ;  he  had  the  ad\antage  of  a  course  at 
the  university  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  but  he  left  that  institution  to 
enlist  a  few  days  after  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  and  entered  the  First 
Vermont  Regiment  for  ninety  days.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
service  he  returned  to  the  University,  but  his  patriotism  would  not  allow 
him  to  remain  there,  and  after  a  year  enlisted,  in  September,  1862, 
in  the  Tenth  Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  A.  B.  Jewett  and 
Captain  H.  Piatt  commanding.  Among  the  battles  participated  in  by 
our  subject  may  be  mentioned  Locust  Grove,  the  Wilderness,  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Cold  Harbor,  Cedar  Creek  and  the  campaign  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Petersburg  and  was  wounded 
at  Monocacy,  July  9,  1864;  his  wound  proved  a  very  serious  one  and 
he  was  confined  to  the  hospital  for  some  time.  Later  he  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  under  General  Sheridan's  command  with  the 
Sixth  Army  Corps  and  was  again  wounded  and  forced  to  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. He  enlisted  as  a  private  both  times  and  after  his  second  enlist- 
ment he  was  promoted  in  the  Wilderness  to  captain  and  continued  in 
command  until  his  final  discharge. 


36  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

He  graduated  in  law  at  St.  Albans,  Vermont,  in  1867,  after  which 
he  came  west  to  Pawnee  City  and  practiced  law  for  some  time,  associated 
with  Captain  George  M.  Humphrey.  In  1893  Mr.  Nye  was  elected 
treasurer  of  Pawnee  county  and  served  two  terms  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  the  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  Of  late  years  he  has 
lived  upon  his  beautiful  farm  on  Turkey  Creek,  Clay  township,  where 
he  owns  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  the  finest  land  in  Nebraska,  on 
which  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  blooded  cattle  and  hogs.  Plots  of  blue  grass  surround  his 
beautiful  home,  in  the  rear  of  which  there  is  an  excellent  orchard. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Nye  was  married  to  Maggie  B.  Dorrance,  who  was 
bom  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William 
Dorrance,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  whose  wife, 
Mary  Jane  (Duncan)  Dorrance,  was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorrance  went  to  Tazewell  connty,  Illinois, 
where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  j-ears.  He  was  a  hatter 
by  trade  but  followed  farming.  In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  then 
a  Republican.  The  wife  died  September  11,  1894,  aged  seventy-nine 
years.  They  had  five  children,  as  follows:  Ellen  North,  of  Marshall, 
Kansas;  Marian  Wagner,  of  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska;  J.  G.,  of  Clav 
township;  Mrs.  Margaret  Nye  and  J.  W.,  of  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nye  have  five  children,  as  follows:  W.  Nelson,  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Clay  township;  Laura  M.,  wife  of  L.  R.  Dillon,  of 
Peru,  Nebraska;  Jane  Ellen,  wife  of  Arthur  Pelton,  of  Dubois,  Ne- 
braska; Chester  Gilmore,  and  Florence  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Nye  has  been 
a  Republican  ever  since  he  cast  his  first  vote  and  he  is  a  prominent  blue 
lodge  and  chapter  Mason.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Eastern 
Star.  His  wife  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
is  genial,  courteous  and  pleasing  in  manner  and  both  as  a  private  citizen 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  37 

and  public  official  has  made  himself  highly  respected   throughout  the 
tommunity. 


SAMUEL  L.  CALDWELL.- 

Samuel  L.  Caldwell,  a  merchant  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  was  born  in 
Ross  county,  Ohio,  November  26,  1849,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  that  state.  His  father,  Allen  Caldwell,  was  born  there  March 
24,  j8i6,  son  of  Crawford  Caldwell,  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland, 
born  about  1792.  Crawford  Caldwell,  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  was 
brought  to  this  country,  was  reared  in  New  York  state,  and  in  early  life 
became  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Ross  county,  Ohio.  He  married 
a  Miss  McClure,  and  to  them  were  given  three  sons  and  four  daughters. 
One  son  died  in  infancy.  William  died,  unmarried,  at  the  old  home- 
stead, at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years.  The  daughters  all  married  and 
had  families  and  all  lived  to  old  age.  Nancy,  wife  of  John  Bruce,  of 
Highland  county,  Ohio,  died  in  the  spring  of  1903,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years.  The  youngest,  Mrs.  Katie  Nixon,  is  now  in  her  seventy-fifth 
year.  Grandmother  Caldwell  passed  away  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years,  and  grandfather  Caldwell  died  in  1872.  By  industry  and  good 
management  in  their  frontier  home  they  accumulated  a  competency  and  in 
their  later  years  had  all  the  comforts  of  life.  Both  were  consistent  and 
worthy  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Allen  Caldwell  married,  in  1838,  in  Ross  county.  Miss  Ellen  J. 
Winegar,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  near  the  famous 
Natural  Bridge,  December  27,  1822,  daughter  of  John  Winegar,  born  at 
that  place  about  1776.  Mr.  Winegar  was  a  farmer.  In  the  year  1830  he 
moved  to  Ohio,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.    His  family  of  four  sons 


38  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  three  daughters  all  married  and  reared  families.  Ellen  J.  was  the 
youngest.  The  only  survivor  of  the  seven  at  this  writing  is  Walter 
Winegar,  seventy-five  years  of  age,  a  resident  of  Highland  county,  Ohio. 
By  trade  Allen  Caldwell  was  a  wagon-maker,  but  early  in  life  he  turned 
his  attention  to  farming  and  was  thus  occupied  for  many  years.  Politi- 
cally he  was  a  Whig.  For  twenty  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  well  posted  on  general  subjects  and  had  rare  legal  ability,  and  his 
opinion  was  often  sought  and  always  valued.  By  word  and  act  he 
strongly  opposed  slavery.  Like  his  parents  before  him,  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  active  supporters  of  the  Methodist  church.  Physically  he  was 
of  fine  proportions,  six  feet  and  one  inch  high,  weighing  two  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  in  his  prime.  He  died  December  23,  1896,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  on  Christmas  day.  He  left  to  his  children  a  good  estate  and  what 
was  far  better  than  money  and  lands — a  good  name.  The  devoted  wife 
and  loving  mother  survived  him  until  April  17,  1903,  when  her  death 
occurred  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four- 
teen children :  John  C.  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer  of  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  that  county,  where  he  has 
served  seven  consecutive  years  as  county  commissioner,  elected  on  the 
Republican  ticket;  he  has  been  twice  married  and  is  the  father  of  four- 
teen children.  William  H.  is  also  a  respected  farmer  of  Highland  county, 
Ohio;  James  E.,  a  farmer  and  shoe  merchant,  died  Decem.ber  23,  1872, 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  leaving  one  daughter;  Noble  B.,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  has  three  sons  and  four  daughters;  Sarah  Ellen, 
wife  of  Washington  Arnott,  died  in  Ohio  in  1895,  leaving  four  children ; 
Nancy,  wife  of  J.  C.  Town,  an  Ohio  farmer,  has  nine  children;  Sam- 
uel L.  is  the  direct  subject  of  this  sketch;  Walter  W.,  a  merchant,  died 
in  Ohio,  in  1897,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  leaving  seven  children; 
Maggie  J.,  widow  of  James  M.  Hughey,  resides  in  Greenfield,  Ohio; 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  39 

David  A.,  a  farmer  in  Ohio;  Abigail,  wife  of  Cary  A.  Cowman,  an  Ohio 
farmer,  has  two  children;  Joseph  L.,  an  attorney  of  Greenfield,  Ohio; 
Frank  S.,  an  Ohio  farmer,  has  two  sons ;  and  O.  D.,  chief  of  police  in 
Greenfield,  Ohio. 

Samuel  L.  Caldwell  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his  father's  farm. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  not  old  enough  to  enlist  in  the  service  of 
his  country,  as  did  other  members  of  the  family,  but  he  made  a  hand  on 
the  farm,  and  thus  it  was  that  being  detained  at  home  to  work  it  was  not 
until  after  he  was  sixteen  years  old  that  he  was  able  to  obtain  much 
schooling.  Then  he  went  to  the  town  schools  and  later  to  the  National 
Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio.  He  completed  the  scientific  course 
in  the  normal  at  Lebanon  in  1880.  Meanwhile  he  taught  school  and 
studied  law,  and  in  1879  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Washington  Court 
House,  Ohio.  After  this  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  high  school.  Two 
years  he  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Prairie  City,  Iowa.  In  the 
fall  of  1884  he  came  to  Auburn  to  accept  the  principalship  of  the  schools 
at  this  place,  a  position  which  he  filled  two  years.  During  this  time 
he  was  elected  the  first  police  judge  of  Auburn,  which  office  he  resigned, 
after  two  and  a  half  years  of  service,  in  order  to  accept  the  position  of 
principal  in  the  South  Omaha  schools.     That  was  in  the  fall  of  1886. 

In  Auburn,  June  8,  1887,  Mr.  Caldwell  married  Miss  Mary  A. 
Wood,  a  native  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  born  in  i860,  daughter  of 
Willis  P.  and  Eliza  (Moore)  Wood,  natives  of  Putnam  county,  Indiana. 
In  the  Wood  family  are  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Caldwell  being 
the  eldest.  Her  brothers  are  Frank  and  Nelson,  the  former  a  resident 
of  Kansas,  the  latter  of  Indiana.  Her  sister  Millie  J.  is  the  wife  of  Ed- 
ward F.  Stone,  of  Greencastle. 

In  March,  1893,  Mrs.  Caldwell  opened  a  millinery  store  in  Auburn, 
and  was  so  successful  in  the  venture  that  from  time  to  time  the  establish- 


40  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ment  was  enlarged.  In  September,  1902,  a  full  line  of  well  selected  dry- 
goods  was  added  and  another  room  occupied.  The  business  is  conducted 
under  the  firm  name  of  Caldwell  &  Caldwell,  and  their  two  adjoining,  well 
stocked  rooms  form  one  of  the  best  stores  in  the  town.  Mrs.  Caldwell 
attended  the  DePauw  University  and  previous  to  her  marriage  was  a 
teacher  in  Indiana.  In  Auburn  she  is  popular  in  both  business  and  social 
circles.  She  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  both  she  and  Mr.  Caldwell  are  members,  and  in  the  Rebekah  degree 
branch  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  she  has  been  honored 
with  high  official  position,  being  president  of  the  state  organization.  Her 
fraternity  work  takes  her  to  various  towns  and  cities  in  Nebraska,  at  all 
of  which  places  her  pleasant  speech  and  her  gracious  manner  have  won 
for  her  the  high  esteem  of  her  sisters  and  brothers  of  the  order.  Mr. 
Caldwell  is  an  Odd  Fellow.  Politically  he  may  be  classed  at  a  Populist 
who  has  come  from  the  Republican  ranks.  He  served  as  clerk  of  the 
district  court  of  Nemaha  county  one  year.  Recently  he  has  retired  from 
his  fourth  term  in  the  office  of  police  judge,  having  served  in  all  nine 
years  in  that  office. 


ROBERT  G.  GILMORE. 

Robert  G.  Gilmore,  a  retired  farmer  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  enlisted  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  August  17,  1861, 
in  Company  D,  Eighty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel 
J.  W.  McLane  and  Captain  O.  S.  Woodward  commanding.  Among 
the  battles  he  participated  in  were  the  Seven  Days'  battle  before  Rich- 
mond, Turkey  Bend,  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg,  Chancellorsville,  and  at  Gettysburg,  and  the  other    battles    and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  41 

skirmishes  of  that  campaign.  He  participated  in  the  three  days'  battle  in 
the  Wilderness,  previous  to  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania.  At  the  battle  of 
Spottsylvania  he  was  wounded,  and  carries  a  ball  in  his  left  leg  to  this 
day.  At  Spottsylvania  he  was  taken  prisoner,  May  8.  1864,  and  August 
22,  1864,  he  was  paroled  and  sent  to  Annapolis,  Maryland.  He  enlisted 
as  a  private,  but  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  sergeant  for  gallantry  on  the 
field.  His  regiment  had  more  killed  and  wounded  than  any  other  in  the 
army,  except  one.  He  was  honorably  discharged  September  20,  1864, 
and  returned  to  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Gilmore  was  born  July  28,  1839,  in  Venango  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, being  a  son  of  William  Gilmore,  who  in  turn  was  a  son  of  Brice 
Gilmore.  William  Gilmore  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  followed 
the  trade  of  carpenter.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Jane  Dickey, 
and  she  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  children  born  to 
these  worthy  parents  were  as  follows :  Adam  C.,  served  in  the  Ninth 
Pennsylvania  Reserves,  and  died  in  1875;  Robert  G. ;  Ira  B.  served  in 
Company  I,  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  now  resides  in  Butler 
county,  Pennsylvania ;  Quinton  B. ;  Sarah  J.  Adams,  of  Utica,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Agnes  I.  McCracken.  of  Utica,  Pennsylvania;  William  W. ;  and 
Ann  Eliza  Whitman.  The  father  died  on  the  old  farm  in  Pennsylvania 
at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  and  the  mother  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
In  politics  the  father  was  a  Republican.  Both  were  consistent  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  was  a  deacon. 

Robert  G.  Gilmore  was  reared  and  educated  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  in  1867  he  married  Lucy  M.  Clough,  a  daughter  of  Horace  and 
Ann  (Brown)  Clough,  natives  of  New  York.  Ann  Clough  died  in 
Illinois  in  1867,  and  the  father  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  in  1875, 
where  he  died  August  25,  1891. 

Mr.  Gilmore  located  in  Highland  township.  Gage  county,  Nebraska, 


42  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  1876,  but  in  1892  retired  to 
Beatrice,  where  he  has  since  hved.  His  children  are :  Wilham  B.,  who 
hves  on  a  large  ranch  in  Wyoming ;  Flora  Stewart,  of  Beatrice ;  Leonard 
B.,  lives  on  the  old  farm;  Horace  lives  in  Gage  county  and  follows 
teaching  as  his  profession.  The  first  vote  our  subject  cast  was  for  Lin- 
coln in  i860,  and  he  has  since  continued  voting  the  Republican  ticket. 
Like  the  majority  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  he  is  interested  in 
G.  A.  R.  work,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Cortlandt 
Post,  of  which  he  served  as  commander.  He  is  now  a  member  of  Rawlins 
Post  No.  35,  of  Beatrice.  Genial,  hospitable  and  pleasing  ni  manner, 
Mr.  Gilmore  makes  and  retains  many  friends,  and  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative men  of  the  county.  , 

ROBERT  C.  BOYD. 

Robert  C.  Boyd,  assistant  cashier  of  the  Carson  National  Bank,  of 
Auburn,  Nebraska,  was  born  in  Upton,  Franklin  county.  Pennsylvania, 
October  25,  1866.  His  education  has  been  gained  chiefly  in  the  practical 
school  of  experience.  Up  to  the  time  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  The  next  three  years  he 
spent  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store.  In  November,  1884,  he  came  west 
to  Nebraska  and  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  bank  of  which  his 
brother,  Edward  M.,  was  manager,  and  he  has  since  been  identified  with 
this  bank,  having  been  promoted  to  his  present  position  of  assistant 
cashier  in  1891.  During  their  residence  here  the  Boyd  brothers  have 
in  many  ways  been  active  in  promoting  the  growth  and  best  interests  of 
Auburn.  It  was  largely  due  to  their  enterprising  efforts  that  the  elec- 
tric plant  of  the  town  was  secured  in  1901.  They  have  for  years  been 
interested  in  real  estate,  buying  and  selling  both  city  and  farm  property. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  43 

Robert  C.  Boyd  was  married,  April  24,  1890,  to  Miss  Lillie  Angle, 
a  native  of  Welsh  Run,  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  liorn  August  21, 
1868,  daughter  of  Henry  B.  and  Mary  (Niswander)  Angle,  both  natives 
of  Franklin  county.  Mrs.  Angle  died  February  i,  1896,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven  years,  leaving  ten  of  her  eleven  children,  viz. :  Ella,  wife  of 
John  E.  Shartle,  of  Independence,  Missouri,  has  two  sons;  Annie,  wife 
of  W.  B.  Waddell,  Oakland,  California,  has  one  son  and  one  daughter; 
Avis,  wife  of  W.  B.  Duffield,  of  Welsh  Run,  Pennsylvania,  has  one  son; 
G.  C,  a  railroad  official,  located  at  Spokane,  Washington;  Lillie;  Harry 
F.,  of  Welsh  Run,  Pennsylvania;  Lyman,  a  Pennsylvania  farmer;  James 
Garfield,  Lucretia  and  Minor,  triplets.  The  first  named  died  at  the  age 
of  nine  months.  Lucretia  is  the  wife  of  Rev.  Rolland  E.  Christ,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  of  Atglen,  Pennsylvania.  Minor  is  a  resident  of  Chi- 
cago, is  married  and  has  one  daughter.  The  youngest  child.  Miss  Bessie, 
is  at  the  old  home  in  Pennsylvania,  with  her  father,  who  is  a  retired 
farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  have  three  children ;  Avis  Angle,  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1901 ;  Mary  Jane,  June  28,  1895  '<  ^"^  William  N.,  July  8,  1899. 

Robert  C.  Boyd  is  a  prominent  Mason.  He  has  received  the  thirty- 
second  degree  in  this  ancient  and  honored  organization,  and  is  a  past 
master,  past  high  priest  and  past  commander.  He  also  has  membership 
in  the  Lidependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and,  politically, 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He  filled  the  office  of  city  treasurer  eight 
years,  in  which  capacity  he  still  serves.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Boyd  are 
worthy  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


44  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

CLAYTON  E.  BLESSING. 

Clayton  E.  Blessing,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Blessing-  &  Tankers- 
ley,  and  proprietor  of  "Central  Fruit  Farm,"  Auburn,  Nebraska,  where 
he  resides,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  town  for  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Blessing  was  born  in  Burketsville,  Maryland,  June  21,  1855,  and 
is  descended  from  German  ancestry  on  his  father's  side,  his  great-grand- 
father and  great-grandmother  Blessing  having  been  born  in  Saxony,  Ger- 
many. 

George  Blessing,  the  grandfather  of  Clayton  E.,  was  born  in  Mary- 
land, in  1789,  and  was  by  occupation  a  planter.  In  his  young  manhood 
he  was  a  participant  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  later  life,  in  the  days  of 
Civil  war,  he  showed  that  he  still  had  fighting  blood  in  him.  He  was  a 
strong  Union  man,  and  he  had  long  been  a  disbeliever  in  slavery  and  had 
emancipated  his  slaves.  His  farm  and  timberland  was  on  the  border 
of  the  Confederacy  and  he  was  subject  to  depredations  from  both  armies. 
In  this  connection  we  quote  from  an  interesting  article  published  some 
years  ago  in  one  of  the  Washington  papers : 

"Mr.  George  Blessing,  seventy  years  of  age,  was  a  farmer  who 
resided  in  the  mountains  near  Myersville.  When  it  was  learned  that 
the  rebels  were  prowling  through  the  neighborhood,  stealing  horses  and 
committing  depredations  generally,  he  was  importuned  by  his  family  to 
remove  his  stock  beyond  the  reach  of  the  marauders ;  but  he  declined  to 
do  so,  avowing  his  purpose  to  defend  his  property  to  the  last.  He  had 
ten  gims  in  his  house  which  he  proceeded  to  load  and  put  in  readiness, 
in  the  event  of  any  necessity  arising  for  their  use.  At  noon,  July  2,  1863, 
he  gathered  his  family  about  him  and  read  aloud  the  ninety-first  Psalm : 
T  will  say  of  the  Lord,  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress ;  my  God,  in 
Him  will  I  trust,'  then  he  engaged  in  devotional  worship,  imploring  the 
Most  High  to  shield  and  protect  his  household  from  the  assaults  and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  45 

rapacity  of  the  enemy  who  were  laying  waste  his  native  soil,  and  seeking 
to  overthrow  the  best  government  ever  devised  by  the  wisdom  of  man, 
pleading  God  to  uphold  and  sustain  the  old  flag  of  his  fathers.  Taking 
two  guns,  he  repaired,  with  his  son,  a  lad  yet  in  his  teens,  to  his  barn, 
from  which  he  descried  a  squad  of  rebels  approaching  on  horseback. 
Handing  his  son  a  gun,  he  ordered  him  to  take  a  certain  position,  and, 
should  the  squad  dismount  and  attempt  to  break  open  the  door  of  the 
stable,  which  was  fastened  by  a  lock,  fire  upon  them.  The  rebels  ad- 
vanced within  a  short  distance  of  the  stable,  when  one  of  the  number 
threw  himself  from  his  horse,  and  commenced  the  work  of  demolishing 
the  stable  door.  At  that  moment  the  old  man  and  his  son  fired  simul- 
taneously upon  the  offender,  both  balls  taking  effect  in  his  right  arm. 
The  balance  of  the  party  scampered  away,  leaving  their  wounded  com- 
rade behind  them,  and  swearing  vengeance  upon  their  opponents.  Before 
they  had  escaped  beyond  reach  of  Mr.  Blessing's  gun,  he  fired  a  second 
shot  at  the  fleeing  foe,  but  with  what  result  he  could  not  tell.  The  rebel 
at  whom  he  fired  fell  forward  on  his  horse,  evidently  wounded,  but  he 
managed  to  get  away. 

"Mr.  Blessing's  neighbors,  learning  what  he  had  done,  waited  upon 
him  and  by  every  argument  they  could  advance  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  purpose  to  'stand  his  ground.' 

"They  tried  to  prevail  upon  him  to  leave  the  vicinity  and  seek  refuge 
from  the  infuriated  rebels,  who  would  return  with  reinforcements  and 
not  only  destroy  his  property  but  would  murder  him  and  his  son.  The 
brave  old  partiot  was  immovable  in  his  purpose  to  defend  his  property, 
though  in  the  event  his  life  would  be  forfeited.  He  was  a  man  of  prayer, 
and  read  his  Bible  and  accepted  literally  its  promise,  and  he  had  infinite 
confidence  in  his  'shield  and  buckler,'  assured  that  "needed  strength  would 
be  given  him  in  the  unequal  contest  which  might  ensue.     The  guns  were 


46  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

reloaded,  and  father  and  son  resumed  their  former  positions,  and  awaited 
the  return  of  the  foe.  They  were  not  kept  long  in  suspense.  Twenty 
mounted  rebels,  accompanied  by  four  citizens  from  Myersville,  with 
whom  Mr.  Blessing  was  accjuainted,  were  advancing  on  his  premises.- 
When  within  a  short  distance  of  Mr.  Blessing's  barn  the  citizens  were 
ordered  in  front  of  the  rebel  squad,  as  a  protection  to  them  from  the 
bullets  which  the  cowardly  land-pirates  knew  were  ready  to  greet  them. 
Undismayed,  Mr.  Blessing  warned  his  acquaintances  against  moving  a 
step  forward,  assuring  them  that  should  they  do  so  they  would  meet  with 
swift  and  certain  death.  Intimidated  and  bewildered,  there  the  rebels 
stood,  hesitating  as  to  their  further  action.  Every  shot  discharged  in 
the  direction  where  they  supposed  the  'Yankee  soldiers'  were  secreted 
was  promptly  and  vigorously  answered.  'What  shall  we  do?'  reasoned- 
these  baffled,  thieving  sons  of  Mars.  Evidently  they  were  fighting 
superior  numbers,  and  would  not  hazard  the  chance  for  success  with 
their  present  force,  but  would  go  back  for  the  artillery.  As  they  were 
wheeling  their  horses  to  retrace  their  course,  Mr.  Blessing  shot  one  of 
the  band  through  the  head  and  killed  him  instantly. 

"A  second  time  Mr.  Blessing's  neighbors  waited  upon  him  and  urged 
him  to  desist  from  the  course  they  were  pursuing.  Their  entreaties  were 
unavailing.  He  was  determined  to  fight  to  the  bitter  end,  whatever  the 
consequences  might  be  to  him.  Should  God  permit  him  to  tcill  but  one 
more  traitor,  he  was  willing  to  die.  Momentarily  expecting  the  maraud- 
ers to  return  with  artillery,  Mr.  Blessing  shouldered  two  guns  and  posted 
himself  in  a  clump  of  trees  in  a  lane  leading  from  a  public  road  to  his 
residence.  He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  he  observed  heavy 
clouds  of  dust  rising  from  the  road,  some  distance  off.  A  large  body 
of  horsemen  were  moving  toward  him.  In  the  advance  he  noticed  what 
he  conceived  to  be  a  rebel  stout;  in  an  instant  the  old  man  raised  his  gun. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  '         47 

and  was  in  the  act  of  firing,  when  the  object  of  his  aim  fell  back  into  the 
main  column  of  soldiers,  riding  rapidly  up  the  lane.  He  now  recognized 
the  blue  coats,  who,  having  heard  of  the  heroic  conduct  of  the  dauntless 
old  patriot  and  his  worthy  son,  were  hastening  to  the  rescue,  and  their 
timely  arrival  was  welcomed  by  this  old  man  of  prayer  whose  eyes  were 
turned  'to  the  hills  from  whence  came  the  help,'  and  whose  faith  in  that 
God  whose  promises  of  succor  in  every  time  of  trouble  never  weakened." 
After  the  fight,  Abraham  Lincoln  presented  George  Blessing  a  fine  silver- 
mounted  repeating  rifle  as  a  token  for  his  bravery. 

George  Blessing  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Susanna 
Easterday,  reared  a  family  of  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  two 
sons  and  five  daughters  married  and  had  families. 

One  of  the  sons  in  the  above  named  family,  Parker  George  Blessing, 
the  father  of  Clayton  E.,  was  bom  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1829,  and  died  in  Highland,  that  state,  in  1866.  He  married, 
September  19,  1854,  Miss  Wilhelmina  Yonson,  who  was  born  in  Green- 
castle,  Pennsylvania,  March  14,  1832,  daughter  of  William  Yonson. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  were  as  follows :  Clayton  E. ;  Avalonia, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Martin  Weller,  was  born  March  31,  1857,  died 
in  Auburn,  Nebraska,  leaving  two  sons  and  two  daughters;  George 
Henry,  born  October  28,  1859,  died  in  1890,  leaving  a  son  and  three 
daughters;  Royal  Madison,  born  in  1861,  died  in  1881 ;  and  the  youngest, 
a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  1865,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  and  the  father  died  the  following  year, 
both  in  Maryland. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  Clayton  E.  Blessing  left  school  and 
entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpenter's  trade,  at  Harmony, 
Maryland.  He  remained  with  and  worked  for  the  man  of  whom  he 
learned  his  trade  until  he  was  twenty-three,  when  he  began  contracting 


48  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

on  his  own  account,  and  was  thus  occupied  there  four  years.  In  the 
meantime  he  married,  and  in  March,  1883,  he  came  west  to  Nebraska, 
bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  three  children.  Here,  in  Auburn  and 
vicinity,  he  continued  contracting  and  building  until  about  six  years  ago, 
when  he  gave  it  up  on  account  of  failing  health,  and  has  since  devoted  his 
time  and  attention  to  fruit-raising-.  He  has  five  acres  of  land  in  the 
western  part  of  Auburn,  just  inside  the  corjaoration  limits,  which  he 
bought  in  1898,  and  where  he  built  his  present  residence.  Here  he  raises 
all  kinds  of  berries  and  a  variety  of  cherries,  peaches  and  plums,  and  in 
addition  to  raising  fruit,  he  is  also  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  fruit, 
doing  this  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Blessing  &  Tankersley.  These 
gentlemen  have  been  associated  together  two  years,  handling  fruit  in 
car-load  lots,  shipping  to  various  points  in  Nebraska  and  other  states. 

Mr.  Blessing  married,  December  21,  1876,  Miss  Emma  F.  Knox, 
who  was  born  in  Boliver,  Maryland,  June  28,  1857,  daughter  of  David 
and  Mariah  (Brandenberg)  Knox.  The  children  of  this  union  are:  Wil- 
helmina  C. ;  George  W. ;  Ava  Lauretta ;  Floyd  Edwin ;  Emma  Jane 
Marie  and  Dolly  May.  All  are  living  except  the  two  last  named.  Emma 
Jane  Marie  was  born  March  3,  1893,  and  died  October  14,  1896,  and 
Dollie  May,  born  November  16,  1895,  died  March  19,  1903.  Both  the 
daughters  are  teachers  and  musicians.    George  is  a  printer  b)'  trade. 

Mr.  Blessing  and  his  family  are  Lutherans  in  their  religious  faith, 
his  parents  and  his  grandparents  before  him  having  been  devout  mem- 
bers of  that  church.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  four 
years  as  assessor  of  Nemaha  county.  He  has  fraternal  relations  with 
il-.e  Masonic  order  and  the  Fratenal  Union  of  America. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  49 

THOMAS  COPELAND. 

Thomas  Copeland,  the  present  mayor  of  the  thriving  town  of  Dil- 
ler,  Jefferson  county,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  this  part 
of  Nebraska,  having-  first  taken  up  his  residence  here  in  1880,  which 
is  an  early  date  in  the  annals  of  Nebraska.  He  has  enjoyed  a  success- 
ful career  in  the  various  pursuits  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  seventy 
years  of  life,  and  is  popular  and  highly  esteemed  among  all  classes.  He 
is  an  ex-soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  having  follow-ed  the  flag  on  many 
haid-fought  battlefields  of  the  south,  and  this  fact  alone  is  ample  proof 
of  the  loyalty  and  public  spirit  which  have  always  pervaded  his  actions. 

Mr.  Copeland  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  February  2, 
1833,  of  a  family  known  for  their  integrity  and  substantiality.  His 
father,  William  Copeland,  was  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  and 
his  mother,  May  Wells,  was  born  in  Devonshire,  and  after  their  mar- 
riage they  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  near 
Mansfield,  General  Sherman's  old  home.  The  former,  who  followed 
farming,  and  was  a  Republican  voter,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five, 
and  his  wife,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  lived  to  be  eighty- 
six  years  old.  Their  seven  children  were  Charlotte,  Henry,  Rebecca, 
Catherine,  Thomas,  John,  and  Charles  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen. 

Thomas  Copeland  was  reared  on  the  Ohio  farm,  and  learned  very 
early  the  lessons  of  industry  and  the  honor  of  labor.  He  also  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  and  followed  this  occupation  until  the  Civil  war. 
At  Lincoln's  call,  in  August,  1862,  for  sixty  thousand  troops,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Twenty-first  Indiana  Light  Artillery,  under  Captain  W. 
W.  Andrews,  of  La  Porte,  Lidiana.  He  took  part  in  many  of  the  cru- 
cial battles  of  the  war,  among  them  being  Chatlet  Gap,  Hooper's  Gap, 
Columbia,  both  of  the  battles  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  at  Nashville,  Chick- 
amauga,  thence  back  to  Chattanooga,  was  with  Sherman  at  Ringgold, 


so  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Missionary  Ridge,  Lookout  Mountain,  was  then  sent  back  to  Tennes- 
see and  on  detail  duty  for  a  time,  and  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  received 
his  honorable  discharge  in  1865,  with  a  worthy  and  honorable  record 
as  a  soldier  and  defender  of  the  flag.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Indiana, 
and  in  1869  came  to  Schuyler,  Nebraska,  where  he  homesteaded  a  place 
for  fi\e  years,  and  then  went  to  Iowa  and  lived  in  Marion  county  until 
1880,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Jefferson  county,  Nebraska,  and  settled 
near  Steele  City.  He  conducted  a  farm  and  raised  stock  there,  and  later 
came  to  Diller,  where  he  has  been  one  of  the  enterprising  and  popular 
citizens  ever  since. 

Mr.  Copeland  was  first  married  in  Bourbon  county,  Indiana,  to 
Miss  May  Lucas,  who  died  in  Jefferson  county,  Nebraska,  leaving  six 
children :  Rosa  Bell,  Thomas  Ellsworth,  Francis  W.,  Emma,  Charles 
Walter,  and  James  Ernest.  In  1895  Mr.  Copeland  married  Mrs.  Jennie 
Boilett,  the  widow  of  Egen  Boilett,  who  died  in  Gage  county,  Nebraska, 
leaving  her  and  three  children,  two  of  them  married  Leah  and  Jennie. 
Mrs.  Copeland  was  born  in  France,  of  French  parentage,  and  is  a  lady 
of  intelligence,  conversant  with  both  the  French  and  English  languages. 
Mr.  Copeland  is  a  Populist  in  political  principle.  He  was  elected  mayor 
of  Diller  by  a  good  majority,  and  gave  a  most  capable  and  satisfactory 
administration.  He  was  also  on  the  board  of  trustees  for  two  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  has  been  com- 
mander of  his  post.  He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.      '  51 

ALBERT  B.  MUTZ. 

Among  the  pretty  homes  in  the  pleasant  town  of  Auburn,  Nebraska, 
is  a  fine  old  residence  with  spacious  lawn  in  front  bordered  by  arbor-vitae 
hedge,  and  with  a  large  orchard  in  the  rear.  This  is  the  Mutz  home- 
place,  where  lives  the  commercial  traveler,  that  hale  fellow  well  met, 
Albert  B.  Mutz. 

Albert  B.  Mutz  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Nebraska,  November  10, 
1857,  son  of  John  Mutz,  who  settled  in  Auburn  in  1881.  and  of  whom 
further  mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work,  in  connection  with 
the  biography  of  A.  C.  Mutz,  brother  of  Albert  B. 

Mr.  Mutz  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
then  took  a  course  in  the  Nebraska  State  Normal  School,  of  which  insti- 
tution he  is  a  graduate.  For  four  years  he  was  a  teacher.  Leaving  the 
schoolroom,  he  turned  his  attention  from  the  educational  to  the  commer- 
cial field  of  labor,  and  for  nearly  nineteen  years  he  has  been  selling 
groceries  to  the  trade,  chiefly  in  southeastern  Nebraska.  Two  years, 
however,  were  spent  in  the  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota,  and  in  Wj^oming. 
And  thirteen  years  of  his  commercial  career  have  been  spent  in  the  employ 
of  one  house.  He  owns  a  fine  team,  and  with  his  own  turnout  drives  to 
many  of  the  points  in  his  territory,  on  these  trips  frequently  being  accom- 
panied by  his  wife;  and  he  makes  it  a  practice  to  spend  his  Sundays  in 
Auburn.  He  owns  the  home  above  referred  to.  This  place  originally 
comprised  twelve  acres,  or  four  blocks,  but  some  of  it  has  been  sold  and 
there  are  now  only  seven  acres  in  the  place. 

Mr.  Mutz  was  married  in  Auburn,  in  June,  1894,  to  Miss  Minnie 
Furnas  Teare,  a  native  of  Brownville,  Nebraska,  born  June  3,  1868, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  C.  (Downey)  Teare.  Her  father  was  a 
native  of  the  Isle  of  Man  and  her  mother  was  born  in  Maryland.  The 
former    is    deceased    and    the    latter    is    now    living    in    Auburn,    with 


52  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.     ' 

her  two  sons.  Mrs.  Mutz  was  educated  in  the  Brownville  high  school 
and  previous  to  her  marriage  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  four  years. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth  of  five  children,  namely:  Robert 
Teare,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  months;  Alberta  Beatrice,  born 
January  25,  1897;  Mary  Downey,  born  February  9,  1S99;  Howard 
Stewart  and  Harold  Furnas,  twins,  born  December  14.  1900.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Mutz  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  and  politically  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

WILLIAM  H.  ALLVORD. 

The  name  of  William  H.  Allvord  is  inscribed  high  on  the  roll  of 
the  honored  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  of  Gage  county's  pioneers. 
He  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1842,  being  a  son  of 
George  and  Mary  (Shumper)  Allvord,  also  natives  of  the  Keystone 
state,  and  the  former  was  of  German  descent.  The  mother  died  when 
her  son  William  was  but  a  child,  leaving  si.x  sons  and  five  daughters,  and 
five  of  the  sons  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war, — H.  Fred,  David, 
William  H.,  George  and  Jacob.  Three  were  wounded,  David,  William 
H.  and  Jacob,  but  all  returned  home  at  the  close  of  their  services,  and 
the  military  record  of  this  family  is  one  of  which  the  members  have 
every  reason  to  be  proud. 

William  H.  Allvord  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  on  a  farm  in 
Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  first  call  of  Lincoln  for  troops,  seven 
days  after  Fort  Sumter  had  been  fired  upon,  this  patriotic  lad  offered  his 
services  to  the  Union  cause,  enlisting  with  the  three-months  men  in  the 
Second  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  but  four  months  elpased  before  his  dis- 
charge. He  was  under  fire  at  Williamport,  Virginia,  and  Chambersburg, 
and  after  his  second  enlistment,  in   1863,  in  Company  E,  Fifty-third 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  53 

Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  Brooks  commanding,  he  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  Poe  River,  Spottsylvania,  Cold 
Harbor  and  on  to  Petersburg,  taking  part  in  the  siege  of  that  place.  He 
was  wounded  near  that  city,  and  on  the  i6th  of  June,  1864,  was  taken 
as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  Andersonville,  where  he  was  confined  until  the 
following  December,  a  period  of  six  months  and  four  days.  While  there 
incarcerated  he  was  threatened  by  Colonel  Wertz  that  if  he  did  not  obey 
and  move  more  quickly  a  ball  and  chain  would  be  put  on  him.  On 
entering  this  prison  pen  he  weighed  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds, 
but  ere  his  term  had  expired  his  weight  was  reduced  to  seventy-five 
pounds,  being  thus  emanciated  through  starvation  and  exposure,  and  he 
suffered  all  the  horrors  of  that  noted  rebel  prison.  After  his  release 
Mr.  Allvord  returned  home  on  a  thirty  days'  furlough,  on  the  expiration 
of  which  period  he  went  to  Petersburg,  where  he  was  wounded  in  the 
right  leg  on  the  31st  of  March,  1865.  He  was  then  taken  to  a  hospital 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service  as  a  corporal,  having  been  promoted  for  gallant  conduct  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

After  the  close  of  the  struggle  Mr.  Allvord  returned  home,  and  for 
a  time  thereafter  was  engaged  in  the  mining  of  coal  in  Pennsylvania  for 
eastern  parties.  During  the  past  twenty-six  years  he  has  made  his  home 
in  Nebraska,  and  his  valuable  and  well  cultivated  farm  is  located  in  High- 
land township.  Gage  county.  Ere  leaving  the  state  of  his  birth  and  while 
home  from  the  war  on  a  furlough,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Buchanan,  who  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the  age  of  fifty-four 
years,  passing  away  in  Gage  county.  She  was  a  loving  wife  and  mother, 
a  kind  neighbor,  and  was  loved  and  honored  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure 
of  her  acquaintance.  At  her  death  she  left  one  daughter,  Sarah  Sloan, 
who  makes  her  home  in  Saline  county,  Nebraska.     One  daughter,  Mary, 


54  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

is  deceased.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Allvord  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  on  its  ticket  has  been  elected  to  offices  of  public  trust,  having  served 
for  one  year  as  road  overseer  and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  He  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades 
through  membership  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  having 
joined  one  of  the  first  posts  organized  in  the  east.  Religiously  he  is 
a  believer  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  his  wife  was  identified  with  the 
United  Brethren. 


HON.  P.  H.  JAMES. 

Hon.  P.  H.  James,  a  prominent  agriculturist  of  Highland  township. 
Gage  county,  Nebraska,  is  numbered  among  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war 
and  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  region.  He 
was  born  in  Pike  county,  Ohio,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1842,  a  son  of  Samuel 
James,  also  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  and  the  latter's  father  was 
born  in  Virginia,  where  the  family  were  early  represented  and  its  mem- 
bers took  part  in  the  early  wars  of  the  country.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Taylor,  and  was  a  descendant 
of  Wolfenbarger,  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Ten  children  were  born 
to  Samuel  and  Catherine  James,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  three 
of  the  sons  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war, — Marion,  P.  H.  and 
Gilbert,  all  members  of  Ohio  regiments.  Mr.  Samuel  James  was  called 
from  this  earth  at  the  early  age  of  forty-six  years,  and  the  mother  sur- 
vived until  her  seventy-fifth  year,  both  passing  away  in  the  faith  of  the 
'  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  they  were  worthy  and  consistent 
members,  and  the  father  was  a  life-long  farmer. 

P.  H.  James  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and  on  the  13th  of  July,  1861,  before  reaching  his  twentieth 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  55 

year,  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Union  cause,  enhsting  in  Company 
I,  Twenty-sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Captain  W.  C.  Appier 
and  Colonel  E.  P.  Fife,  having  been  the  first  to  enlist  from  Marion 
township,  and  remained  in  service  longer  than  any  other  man  in  that 
township.  For  a  time  he  was  stationed  in  West  Virginia,  under  Generals 
Cox  and  Rosecrans.  Later  he  was  in  the  forced  march  under  General 
Buel  to  Shiloh.  Thence  to  Corinth,  then  luka  and  returned  to  Kentucky 
and  participated  in  the  campaigns  of  that  state ;  was  in  battles  of  Stone 
River,  Chattanooga  and  Missionary  Ridge  and  shortly  afterward  returned 
home  on  a  furlough.  Mr.  James  then  took  part  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, under  Generals  Sherman  and  Thomas,  and  later  under  General 
Thomas  returned  to  fight  General  Hood's  forces  at  Franklin  and  Nash- 
ville, during  which  time  he  had  charge  of  his  company.  From  Nash- 
ville they  were  ordered  to  Texas,  via  Louisiana  and  the  Gulf,  and 
there  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  as  a  non-cnp.imis- 
sioned  officer,  October  14,  1865.  Out  of  the  twelve  men  who  left  Marion 
township  to  fight  for  their  country  only  two  returned,  ]\Ir.  James  and 
Samuel  Umphreys.  Though  only  nineteen  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
enlistment,  Mr.  James  performed  his  arduous  tasks  with  the  steadiness 
and  discretion  of  a  man  twice  his  age,  and  his  military  record  is  one  of 
which  he  has  every  reason  to  be  proud.  He  draws  a  meager  pension  of 
six  dollars  per  month. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  James  left  his  Ohio  home  and  with  team  and  wagon  set 
out  for  the  then  new  country  of  Nebraska,  being  accompanied  on  the 
journey  by  his  wife  and  two  children,  and  twenty-eight  days  were  spent 
on  the  road.  On  arriving  here  they  located  first  in  Johnson  county, 
but  in  1872  came  to  Gage  county  and  secured  his  present  homestead  in 
Highland  township.  His  valuable  homestead  now  consists  of  three 
hundred  and  twentv  acres  of  as  good  land  as  can  be  found  in  the  entire 


56  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

commonwealth,  all  of  which  he  has  placed  under  a  fine  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  has  erected  all  the  commodious  buildings  which  now  adorn  the 
place.  He  is  devoting  his  efiforts  to  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  in  both  occupations  is  meeting  with  a  well  merited  degree  of  success. 
He  is  also  well  known  as  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  as  an  active  worker 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  For  a  number  of  years  he  held 
the  office  of  postmaster,  and  was  also  the  representative  of  his  district  in 
the  state  legislature  in  1892,  in  which  he  served  with  honor  and  credit. 

In  Pike  county,  Ohio,  in  1866,  Mr.  James  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Catherine  Keppler,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Pike 
county,  a  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Chri&tena  (Eherman)  Keppler,  both 
of  whom  died  in  Ohio.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  have  had  six  children, 
namely :  David  F.,  a  resident  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska ;  Alice  Clare,  of 
Lancaster,  this  state;  Addie  Clough,  who  makes  her  home  in  Gage 
county ;  Cora  Randall,  also  of  Beatrice ;  and  Nelly,  at  home  and  a  talented 
musician.  A  sad  event  in  the  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  was  the  death 
of  their  son  Morton  who  passed  away  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  an  unusually  bright  boy,  and  had  served  as  a  page  in  the  state 
house  and  as  messenger  boy  to  Governor  Thomas  Majors.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  are  numbered  among  the  best  known  citizens  of  this  community, 
where  their  friends  are  legion. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  57 

THOMAS  J.  KEEDY. 

Among  the  well  known  and  respected  citizens  of  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,  is  Thomas  J-  Keedy,  who  has  retired  from  his  farm  and  is 
now  living  quietly  in  his  pleasant  home  in  Auburn. 

Mr.  Keedy  is  of  German  descent.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Keedy, 
was  born  in  Germany  about  the  year  1778,  and  when  a  young  man  emi- 
grated to  America,  settling  in  Maryland,  where  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  small  farm,  and  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  life  and  died,  his 
death  occurring  in  1848.  He  reared  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  John  J.,  Henry,  Samuel,  Jacob,  Mattie,  Rachael  and 
Alfred.  All  married,  and  all  had  families  except  Rachael,  and  all  lived  to 
advanced  age,  Rachael  being  the  last  to  pass  away,  her  death  being  in  the 
summer  of  1902. 

John  J.  Keedy,  the  first  of  the  above  named  family,  was  the  father 
of  Thomas  J. ;  was  born  in  Maryland,  in  1803,  and  died  in  that  state  in 
1868.  He  was  a  miller  and  a  farmer,  and  owned  both  a  mill  and  a  farm. 
In  Maryland,  in  1826,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Middlecoff,  a  native 
of  that  state  and  one  year  his  junior.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely :  Christopher  Columbus, 
who  was  born  in  1827,  and  who  is  now  living  in  Keedysville.  named  in 
honor  of  grandfather  Keedy,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  town ;  Sophia, 
deceased,  was  twice  married,  first  to  E.  Hecker,  by  whom  she  had  one 
daughter,  and,  second,  to  J.  Ebersoll,  by  whom  she  had  one  son;  the 
third  and  fourth  died  in  early  life;  George  W.,  a  farmer  of  Reno  county, 
Kansas,  has  a  family  of  eight  children;  the  sixth  born  was  a  son,  who 
died  when  young;  next  came  Thomas  J.,  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch :  and  the  youngest,  Mary  Ann,  died  in  early  life.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  in  Maryland,  in  1881,  and  her  remains  rest  beside  those 


58  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

of  her  husband  and  other  members  of  tlie  family  in  the  Keedysville 
cemetery.    They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

Thomas  J.  Keedy  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  Janu- 
ary 27,  1840;  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his  father's  farm  and  obtained 
only  a  limited  education  in  the  district  schools.  As  a  child  he  was  deli- 
cate, and  his  ill  health  frequently  kept  him  from  school.  When  he  was 
nine  years  old  he  missed  a  whole  winter's  schooling  on  this  account. 
He  remained  at  the  parental  home  until  his  marriage,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  years  and  three  months  spent  in  the  army,  during  the  Civil 
war.  He  volunteered,  August  15,  1861,  and  was  in  Company  A,  First 
Maryland  Infantry,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
During  his  army  life  he  had  a  siege  of  typhoid  fever,  was  sent  home  and 
■was  there  nine  weeks.  At  Harper's  Ferry  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and 
was  paroled,  being  one  of  the  thirteen  thousand  paroled  at  that  time,  and 
was  in  camp  at  Annapolis  six  months.  Among  the  engagements  in 
which  he  participated  were  those  of  Gettysburg  and  Winchester. 

Mr.  Keedy  was  married,  December  27,  1864,  to  Miss  Sarah  Snyder, 
a  native  of  Maryland,  born  August  17,  1841,  daughter  of  David  and 
S,arah  (Hutzel)  Snyder.  In  the  Snyder  family  were  five  children,  all 
of  whom  became  farmers.  David  Snyder  died  in  the  prime  of  life  and 
his  widow  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  The 
children  of  Thomas  J.  and  Sarah  Keedy  are  as  follows :  Mary  Ellen, 
wife  of  Dr.  Long,  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  has  one  daughter  and  two  sons; 
Ada  May,  wife  of  Henry  Furrow,  of  Auburn,  has  two  children  living; 
Albert  Lincoln,  a  farmer  near  Auburn,  has  a  wife,  two  sons  and  a 
daughter;  S.  Elsworth,  also  engaged  in  farming  near  Auburn,  is  mar- 
ried and  has  two  daughters;  and  Lorena,  wife  of  Hugh  Naysmith,  a 
farmer  of  Republican  county,  Kansas,  has  one  daughter. 

Mr.  Keedy  inherited  two  thousand  dollars  from  his  father's  estate. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  59 

has  worked  hard  and  managed  well  and  prospered,  and  has  been  able  to 
give  his  own  children  a  good  start  in  the  world.  Previous  to  his  coming 
to  Nebraska  Mr.  Keedy  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  lime  at  Keedysville.  He  came  west  in  1881.  locating  near  what  was 
then  called  Sheridan,  now  Auburn,  and  here  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  improved  land,  upon  which  he  carried  on  farming  until 
the  fall  of  1893,  when  he  sold  to  his  sons,  and  bought  two  lots  in  Auburn. 
Here  he  built  his  present  residence. 

When  a  young  man  in  Maryland,  Mr.  Keedv  was  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  Oddfellowship.  Politically,  he  is  what  is  termed  an  inde- 
pendent, and  in  religion  he  also  holds  independent  views,  and  has  never 
identified  himself  with  any  creed. 


WILLIAM  C.  PARTIIOTT. 

William  C.  Parriott,  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Nemaha 
county,  Nebraska,  is  a  native  of  the  county  in  which  he  has  been  honored 
early  in  life  with  high  official  position  in  educational  work.  He  was 
born  in  Peru,  June  13,  1872.  His  father,  William  C.  Parriott,  was 
born  in  JNIoundsville.  West  Virginia,  in  January,  1829,  and  died  in  Peru, 
Nebraska,  October  26,  1895.  John  Parriott,  Professor  Parriott's  grand- 
father, also  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  was  a  lawyer  and  planter,  and  was 
the  father  of  six  sons  and  two  daughtesr,  most  of  whom  passed  their 
lives  as  farmers ;  and  of  the  number  at  this  writing  only  one  is  living — 
Edgar  Parriott,  a  resident  of  California.  Grandfather  Parriott  died  in 
Virginia,  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  man  of  high  intellectual  attain- 
ments and  figured  prominently  in  the  affairs  of  his  day,  several  times 
being  honored  with  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  his  state.     He  had  the 


6o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

family  name,  which   is  EngHsh  and  was  originally  spelled  "Parrott," 
chimged  to  its  present  spelling. 

Professor  Parriott's  mother  was  before  marriage  Miss  Margaret 
Moore.  She  was  born  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  1839,  daughter  of  Fran- 
cis Moore,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland.  She  was  married  to 
Mr.  Parriott,  in  i860,  at  Danville,  Iowa,  and  after  their  marrigae  they 
lived  in  that  state  two  years,  removing  thence  to  Cass  county,  Nebraska, 
which  was  the  family  home  the  next  three  years,  two  years  of  which 
time  he  was  away  in  California  engaged  in  mining.  In  1866  they  came 
to  Nemaha  county  and  settled  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
Peru  township,  which  he  improved  and  to  which  he  subsequently  added 
until  his  farm  comprised  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres.  Here  he 
died  October  26,  1895,  and  on  the  home  farm  his  widow  is  still  living, 
with  her  two  sons  John  and  Grover.  In  their  family  were  seven  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely :  Edward,  who  is  interested  in  the  insurance 
business  at  Peru,  as  a  representative  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen;  Frank,  a  farmer  near  Brownville,  this  county;  Joseph  D., 
engaged  in  farming  in  Peru  township;  Alma,  wife  of  W.  Rainey,  of 
Union,  Nebraska;  William  C. ;  Clara,  wife  of  Charles  T.  Edwards,  of 
Shubert,  Nebraska;  Lee  R.,  a  farmer  of  Peru  township;  and  John  and 
Grover,  who  have  charge  of  the  home  farm. 

William  C.  Parriott  is  a  graduate  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Peru,  Nebraska,  with  the  class  of  1896.  For  three  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  and  he  is  now  serving  his  fourth  year  in 
the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools.  As  a  candidate  for  this 
office  in  1897  he  was  defeated  by  twenty-one  votes;  made  his  next  run  in 
1899  and  was  elected.  Being  a  Democrat  in  a  Republican  county,  his 
election  was  by  a  small  majority,  and  as  showing  the  rapidity  with  which 
he  grew  in  favor  with  the  people  when  they  learned  his  value  as  an  edu- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  6i 

cator  and  the  earnestness  with  which  he  entered  into  his  work,  we  state 
that  when  he  was  re-elected  in  1901  he  had  a  majority  of  152  votes. 

Mr.  Parriott  was  married,  February  12,  1902,  to  Miss  Bessie  Tynan, 
a  native  of  Stella,  Nebraska,  and  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Jenny 
(Richardson)  Tynan  of  that  place.  Mrs.  Parriott  was  educated  in  the 
State  University  of  Nebraska  and  previous  to  her  marriage  was  a  teacher. 
In  their  own  pleasant  home  on  one  of  the  nicest  streets  of  the  pretty  town 
of  Auburn  the  Professor  and  Mrs.  Parriott  live. 


LORIN  ROUNDS. 

Uorin  Rounds,  who  for  many  years  was  a  popular  landlord  of  Howe 
but  is  now  retired,  has  had  a  busy  and  successful  career  in  various  parts 
of  the  country.  He  has  been  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  is  also  one  of  the 
survivors  of  the  Civil  war.  His  industry  and  business  ability  have  given 
him  a  comfortable  place  in  life  and  won  him  the  regard  of  all  his  fellow 
citizens.  He  has  proved  his  excellent  citizenship  during  the  years  that 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  Howe,  and  has  played  his  part  in  life  with 
fidelity  to  self  and  loyalty  to  country  and  society. 

Mr.  Rounds  was  a  son  of  John  W.  Rounds,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1819,  and  was  a  painter  and  decorator,  following  that  pursuit 
in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  fairly  prosperous, 
and  had  accumulated  about  four  thousand  dollars  with  which  he  intended 
to  buy  lands  in  Nebraska,  but  on  his  way  was  murdered  in  St.  Louis  in 
1883.  He  married  Miss  Abbey  Tracey,  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
where  they  were  married  in  1840.  They  had  five  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  two  of  the  sons  died  in  infancy.  The  others  were  married,  and  there 
were  eight  grandchildren.    Mrs.  Abbey  Rounds  died  in  1850,  aged  about 


62  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

thirty-five,  and  her  husband  was  again  married,  but  had  no  children  by 
the  second  union. 

Lorin  Rounds  was  born  in  New  York  state  December  9,  1843.  I" 
young-  manhood  he  came  to  Wisconsin  and  Hved  on  Sun  Prairie  until 
1864,  when  he  enlisted  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  in  Company  K,  Fortieth 
Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  less  than  a  year  owing  to 
physical  disability,  and  he  now  draws  a  small  pension.  He  followed 
carpentering  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  successful. 

May  18,  1885,  Mr.  Rounds  was  married  at  Brownville,  Nebraska, 
to  the  widow  of  Daniel  McLean.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
Jane  (Roberts)  Stampp,  who  came  to  Nebraska  from  Michigan  in  1892 
and  are  now  living  in  Howe,  the  former  having  been  born  in  the  territory 
of  Michigan  in  1832  and  the  latter  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1838.  Daniel  McLean  was  born  in  Argyleshire,  Scotland,  January  15, 
185 1,  and  died  in  Tecumseh,  Nebraska.  He  married  Mrs.  Rounds,  July 
20,  1877,  ii^  Monroe  county,  Michigan,  and  their  one  daughter,  Sarah 
Jane,  born  November  24,  1878,  died  when  nearly  three  years  old.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rounds  lost  their  first  child,  Arthur  Lorenzo,  born  in  Michigan, 
February  28,  1889,  and  died  aged  about  three  years.  They  have  a  son, 
Cecil  Thomas  Rounds,  born  July  24,   1902. 

Mr.  Rounds  came  from  Monroe  county,  Michigan,  to  Nebraska 
in  1890,  and  in  April,  1891,  they  built  the  Cottage  Hotel  on  their  four 
lots,  and  they -conducted  this  until  May  i,  1903.  Mrs.  Rounds  had 
about  five  thousand  dollars  which  she  and  her  former  husband  had 
made  by  hotel-keeping  in  Tecumseh,  Nebraska,  where  they  had  the  Depot 
Hotel  for  five  years,  and  which  Mrs.  Rounds  conducted  for  five  months 
after  her  second  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rounds  have  built  their  present 
comfortable  residence,  also  two  tenant  houses,  and  a  barn  and  other 
buildings.     In  1900  they  established  their  meat  market  and  grocery  in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  63 

their  brick  block,  and  in  all  their  enterprises  have  made  unusual  success. 
Mr.  Rounds  is  a  Republican  voter,  and  he  and  his  wife  have  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church.  Another  member  of  their  household  is 
Mr.  George  Hinkle,  a  widower  of  seventy-six  years  and  with  two  chil- 
dren in  Auburn.  He  has  been  in  the  store  and  market  for  some  time, 
where  he  has  been  the  right-hand  man  of  Mr.  Rounds,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
favorites  about  the  home,  being  especially  so  with  the  baby  boy  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rounds. 


EDWARD  H.  DORT. 

Edward  H.  Dort,  who  has  the  leading  drug  and  book  store  in 
Auburn,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  representative  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  the  town.  He  was  born  in  Harpursville,  Broome  county,  New- 
York,  July  17,  i860,  and  is  descended  from  New  England  and  New 
York  ancestors  who  were  noted  for  their  honesty  and  industry  and  some 
of  whom  figured  prominently  in  the  localities  in  which  they  lived.  John 
Luke  Dort,  his  father,  also  a  native  of  Harpursville,  was  born  March 
24,  1823,  and  died  at  Rockport,  Missouri.  August  27,  1872.  Grand- 
father Eli  Dort  was  born  and  lived  and  died  in  Harpursville,  the  date 
of  his  birth  being  January  14,  1791,  and  his  death  August  25,  1857. 
February  16,  181 5,  he  married  Eleanor  Farrar,  who  was  born  January 
24,  1794,  and  died  December  14,  1867.  They  reared  a  family  of  three 
children,  one  son  and  two  daughters.  The  son,  John  Luke  Dort,  married 
Rhoda  A.  Smith,  a  native  of  Coventry,  New  York,  born  August  24,  1823, 
daughter  of  Clark  and  Louis  (Kelsey)  Smith,  the  former  born  in  Brat- 
tleboro,  Vermont,  May  3,  1782,  and  the  latter  in  Brainbridge,  New  York, 
September  20,    1789.     Her  parents  were  married  at  Brainbridge,  Novem- 


64  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ber  8,  1807;  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  and  passed  their  lives  as 
farmers  in  Chenango  county,  New  York.  Grandmother  Dort's  father 
Seth  Smith,  was  born  August  21,  1736,  and  passed  his  life  in  Grandy, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  died  October  13,  1820.  He  was  a  colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  When  the  news  of  the  invasion  of  the  British  first 
reached  his  town  it  was  on  Sunday  morning  and  he  was  in  church. 
Instantly  he  left  the  house,  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  all  over  the  town, 
raising  volunteers.  The  next  morning,  with  his  newly  raised  recruits-, 
he  marched  about  thirty  miles,  arriving  at  the  scene  of  action  in  time  to 
participate  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bennington.  The  paternal  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  was  John  Dort.  He  was  born  February  14, 
1767,  and  died  July  ir,  1848.  He  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  Briggs,  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  seven  sons 
and  six  daughters. 

John  Luke  Dort  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-maker  of  his  father  in 
Harpursville  and  worked  at  that  trade  there  until  he  moved  west  with 
his  family  to  Atchison  county,  Missouri,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm 
and  devoted  their  time  and  attention  to  the  improvement  and  cultivation 
of  the  same.  Their  seven  children,  all  born  in  New  York,  were  as  fol- 
lows: Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Albert  F.  Bush,  was  born  July  27,  1847, 
and  died  in  Litchfield,  Nebraska,  December  24,  1885,  leaving  four 
children;  Ella,  born  January  9,  1852,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  D.  Chaffee, 
of  California:  James  A.,  born  January  22,  1855,  is  a  fruit  grower  of 
California,  and  has  a  wife,  one  son  and  one  daughter;  Clark  Eli,  born  in 
1858,  died  May  13,  1872;  Edward  H. ;  Louise  D.,  born  June  18,  1863, 
is  the  wife  of  Fred  Dysart,  of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  and  has  one 
daughter  living;  and  Frank  O.,  bom  June  9,  1867,  is  a  banker  of  Med- 
ford,  Oklahoma,  and  has  a  wife,  one  son  and  four  daughters.  The 
widowed  mother,  now  seventy-nine  years  of  age,  blind  and  feeble,  resides 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  65 

with  her  daughter,  i\Irs.  Dysart.  She  has  long  been  a  devoted  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  as  also  was  her  worthy  husband. 

Edward  H.  Dort,  the  fifth  born  in  the  above  named  family,  received 
a  common  school  education  in  Missouri  and  Nebraska,  and  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  entered  the  employ  of  the  pioneer  druggist,  W.  H. 
McCreery,  of  Brownville,  with  whom  he  remained  six  and  a  half  years, 
becoming  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  business.  From  Brownville 
he  went,  in  the  summer  of  1880,  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  he 
was  a  salesman  four  and  a  half  years.  This  experience  qualified  him 
to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account,  and  in  May,  1885,  he  came 
to  Auburn  and  purchased  the  drug  store  of  Dr.  A.  S.  Holliday.  Since 
that  date  he  has  conducted  a  successful  business  here.  In  the  spring  of 
iSgo  he  suffered  loss  by  fire,  his  store  burning,  Ijut  he  was  soon  re-estab- 
lished and  better  equipped  than  before  the  fire.  His  present  location  is  in 
a  brick  building  which  he  erected,  thirty  by  eighty  feet  in  dimensions, 
two  stories  and  basement,  all  of  which  is  occupied  by  his  fine  line  of 
drugs,  books,  etc.  His  residence  he  built  in  1888.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  homes  on  one  of  the  well  shaded  streets  of  the  pretty  town  of 
Auburn.  Its  large  grounds,  dotted  over  with  shrubbery,  and  every  detail 
of  the  surroundings,  both  exterior  and  interior,  indicate  the  taste  and 
refinement  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Dort  married,  June  7,  1887,  in  Peru,  Nebraska,  Miss  Florence 
M.  Fisher,  a  native  of  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Eliza  (Peabody)  Fisher,  natives  of  Illinois.  They  came  to 
Nebraska  in  1868,  where  they  lived  for  a  number  of  years,  and  whence 
they  went  to  California,  where  they  are  now  living  retired.  Mrs.  Dort 
is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  by  her  father's  first  marriage 
and  six  by  the  second.  She  was  educated  in  the  State  Normal  School  and 
previous  to  her  marriage  taught  school  two  years.      Her  union  with 


66  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Mr.   Dort  has  been  blessed   in  the  birth  of  three  children :   Clark   L., 
Edward  Nelson  and  Edith  Elizabeth. 

Mrs.  Dort  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  while  Mr.  Dort  is  a 
Presbyterian.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  For  seven  years  he  was  a 
school  director  in  Auburn.  Fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mr.  Dort  is  president  of  the  Auburn  Mutual 
Lighting  and  PoAver  Company,  established  in  1901,  he  being  promoter 
and  organizer.  W.  A.  Gilmore  is  vice  president,  R.  C.  Boyd  treasurer, 
and  G.  W.  Thomas  secretary. 


G.   T.   BELDING. 

G.  T.  Belding,  attorney-at-law  at  Pawnee  Cit}-,  Nebraska,  and  one 
of  the  prominent  men  of  Pawnee  City,  settled  in  this  locality  in  1870. 
He  was  born  at  Richmond,  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1841,  and  is 
a  son  of  Elijah  Belding,  Jr.,  who  settled  in  Walworth  county  in  1836. 
Elijah  Belding  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  was  a  son  of 
Elijah  Belding,  Sr.,  of  Massachusetts.  The  Belding  family  settled  in 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  in  1730.  Elijah,  Sr.,  died  in  Marquette 
county,  Wisconsin,  in  1852.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Miss 
Pease.  Elijah,  Jr.,  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  east  and  married 
Marv  James,  who  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Dorcas  (Perry)  James,  of  ^\'elsh  ancestry.  Both  died  in 
^\'alworth  county,  Wisconsin.  In  politics  Elijah  Belding,  Jr.,  was  first 
a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  Elijah,  Jr.,  died  in  1882  and  his  wife 
is  still  lix'ing  and  makes  her  home  in  Pawnee  City  with  our  subject.  She 
has  attained  the  venerable  age  of  eightv-one  years.     She  is  a  member 


G.    T.    BELDING 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  67 

3f  tlie  Baptist  cluircli.  Eleven  children  were  Ijorn  to  herself  and  hus- 
band, namely:  G.  T. ;  Mary  E.,  deceased;  Emily  D.,  of  Delavan,  Wis- 
consin: Eugene  M.,  of  Minnesota:  Elvira,  deceased:  Mary  E.,  of  St. 
Paul:  Frances  H.,  deceased;  Charles  F.,  of  St.  Charles,  Missouri:  Lulu 
Tumey,  who  lives  at  Camden,  Arkansas ;  Bertha,  died  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years:  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  G.  T.  Belding  was  reared  in  Walworth  county  on  a  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1S62,  and  was  a  school  teacher  from  1858. 
He  enlisted  August  u,  1862,  in  the  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Wiscon- 
sin Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  D,  serving  three  years.  Colonel  Utleys 
and  Captain  A.  D.  Kellam  in  command.  Our  subject  was  attached  to 
the  Twentieth  Army  Corps  in  General  \\'ard"s  Third  Division,  participat- 
ing in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  June  29,  1865.  Mr.  Belding  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee,  and  held  twenty-fi\e  days  in  Libby  prison, 
suffering  many  pri\'ations.  When  he  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Del- 
avan, Wisconsin,  he  married  Miss  Cetta  M.  Jones,  of  the  same  place 
in  October,  1865,  and  for  several  years  remained  in  the  county  of  his 
birth. 

In  1870  he  located  at  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska:  was  elected  county 
judge  in  1879  '^"f^  '^or  twenty  years  served  as  county  judge  of  Pawnee 
county,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law. 
During  his  practice  he  has  been  the  attorne}'  for  several  estates  and 
served  as  attorney  for  various  parties  outside  the  state:  in  all  demon- 
strating his  ability  and  shrewdness  as  a  lawyer.  Ever  since  locating 
in  Pawnee  county  Mr.  Belding  has  made  many  friends,  and  he  is  justly 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  representatives  of  the  bar  of  this  locality. 


68  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  LAWRENCE. 

Abraham  Lincoln  Lawrence,  sheriff  of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska, 
was  born  at  Brownville,  then  the  county  seat  of  Nemaha  county,  Decem- 
ber 25,  1863.  Mr.  Lawrence's  parents  were  pioneers  of  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,  and  his  grandparents  were  pioneers  of  the  locahties  in  whicli 
they  lived.  Samuel  Lawrence,  his  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  whence  he  moved  when  a  young  man  to  Ohio,  settling  there 
when  that  state  was  nearly  all  covered  with  timber.  There  he  cleared  and 
improved  several  farms.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1S12.  He  mar- 
ried his  own  cousin,  and  they  reared  three  children,  namely :  Joim,  who 
died  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters; 
Samuel  S. ;  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Mr.  Jacob  Easterly,  died  leaving  two 
children. 

Samuel  S.  Lawrence  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Ohio,  October  25, 
1826,  and  in  the  winter  of  1849  '^^  '5°  '^^''^s  married  in  Marion  county, 
that  state,  to  Rosena  Moyer,  a  native  of  the  county  in  which  he  was  born, 
the  date  of  her  birth  being  September  11,  1827.  Her  father,  Philip 
Moyer,  an  Ohio  farmer,  was  thrown  from  one  of  his  horses  and  sustained 
an  injury  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died,  at  about  the  age  of  forty 
years.  His  wife  was  a  iMiss  Cramer,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Philip,  Daniel,  Samuel,  Sarah  and  Rosena.  They  reared 
their  family  in  Ohio  and  afterward  moved  to  Iowa,  where  they  spent  the 
rest  of  their  lives  and  died,  Mrs.  Moyer  reaching  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-one  years.  Samuel  S.  and  Rosena  Lawrence  had  a  family  of 
children  as  follows:  the  first  born,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy;  William, 
a  farmer  in  Nemaha  county,  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter  and  one  son; 
Philip,  the  next  born,  was  accidentally  scalded  to  death,  at  the  age  of 
two  and  a  half  years;  Daniel,  v/ho  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years; 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  69 

John  A.,  a  farmer  in  Nemaha  county,  is  married  and  has  three  children ; 
Samuel  C,  also  a  farmer  of  Nemaha  county,  has  a  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren ;  Abraham  Lincoln ;  Valentine,  who  resides  at  the  home  farm  in 
Nemaha  county,  has  a  wife  and  three  children;  and  Rosena,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  years.  The  parents  of  this  family  moved  from  Ohio  to 
Iowa  in  1852  and  settled  in  Jones  county  on  a  farm  which  they  purchased 
and  where  they  lived  for  a  number  of  years.  This  farm  they  traded  for  a 
tract  of  land  in  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  in  1863,  and  that  year  moved 
to  this  land  from  Brownville,  this  county,  where  they  had  located  the 
pervious  year.  Their  first  two  children  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  next 
four  in  Iowa,  and  the  rest  in  Nebraska.  And  while  they  reared  a  large 
family  an-d  reared  them  well,  they  at  the  same  time  by  careful  economy 
and  good  management  accumulated  a  competency,  and  to  each  child  they 
gave  eighty  acres  of  land.  Here  Samuel  S.  Lawrence  died,  December 
9,  1901,  and  his  wife  died  March  27,  1903.  They  were  in  early  life 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  but  later  identified  themselves  with 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  they  were  consistent 
members  at  time  of  death. 

Abraham  Lincoln  Lawrence  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his  father's 
farm,  receiving  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools  and  attending  the 
Brownville  school  two  years.  For  a  short  time  he  taught  school  for  his 
brother,  Samuel  C,  who  was  a  teacher  for  a  number  of  years,  teaching 
one  school  six  years.  Their  father  also  was  at  one  time  a  teacher.  After 
his  marriage,  which  event  occurred  about  the  time  he  reached  his 
majority.  Mr  Lawrence  settled  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
father's  land,  eighty  acres  of  which  he  now  owns.  He  owns  other  land, 
amounting  in  all  to  two  hundred  and  forty-two  acres,  located  three  miles 
west  of  Brownville.  Until  he  was  elected  county  sheriff  in  1901,  Mr.  Law- 
rence gave  his  whole  attention  to  farming,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 


70  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

when  he  was  engaged  in  mercliandising  in  Brownville.  He  has  made 
most  of  the  improvements  on  tlie  farm  on  which  he  hves.  He  built  the 
residence  and  barn  and  he  planted  his  fine  orchard,  wliich  is  twelve  acres 
in  extent  and  comprises  an  excellent  variety  of  fruits. 

February  i,  1885,  Mr.  Lawrence  married  Miss  Kate  Agnes  Penny, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  William  E.  Penny.  The  children 
born  of  this  union  are  as  follows,  and  range  in  age  from  sixteen  to  two 
years:  Mabel  Grace,  Don  A.,  Abraham  L.,  Jr.,  William  McKinley, 
Samuel  Clinton,  a  son  that  died  in  infancy,  and  Daniel. 

Mr.  Lawrence's  own  name  and  the  names  of  two  of  his  children 
indicate  the  political  party  with  which  this  family  have  harmonized. 
As  a  Republican,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  elected  to  the  sheriff's  ofifice  in 
1 90 1,  for  a  term  of  two  years  and  re-elected  in  1903,  which  term 
expires  January  i,  1905.  For  years  he  has  been  affiliated  with  numerous 
fraternal  organizations,  among  them  being  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  both  lodge  and  chapter,  he  being  a  past  master  of  his  lodge; 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Ancient  Order 
United  Workmen,  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Highlanders. 


JA^IES  A.  STEPHENSON. 

James  A.  Stephenson,  one  of  the  premier  farmers  of  Nemaha  county, 
with  a  fine  farm  in  Nemaha  precinct,  Nemaha  city  postoffice,  has  the 
hustling  cjualities  which  bring  success  in  any  vocation,  and  give  him  a 
leading  place  among  the  men  of  his  calling  in  this  county.  He  owns 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  on  which  is  located  his  nice  home, 
and  on  this  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  rented  land  he 
does  general  farming.     He  keeps  ten  or  twelve  horses,  some  high-grade 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  yi 

cattle  and  liogs,  and  each  year  grows  about  seven  thousand  bushels  of 
corn,  fourteen  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  and  thirteen  hundred  bushels  of 
oats,  and  last  year  sold  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  fruit. 
He  is  thoroughly  devoted  to  his  pursuit,  and  his  enterprise  is  gaining  its 
reward. 

Mr.  Stephenson  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  Jan- 
uary 1 6,  1862,  and  had  a  fair  education  in  the  district  schools  and  was 
reared  on  the  old  farm  where  his  parents  settled  in  1840,  on  two  hun- 
dred and  five  acres,  now  owned  by  \\\  G.  Stephenson,  his  brother. 
His  grandparents  were  Rdbert  Stephenson  and  a  Miss  Hutchison,  and 
the  former  was  a  cousin  nf  the  great  engineer.  Robert  Stephenson,  son 
of  the  inventor  of  the  locomotive,  all  of  whom  came  from  the  north  of 
Ireland.  (Iranfather  Robert  was  a  weaver  of  Irish  linen  in  the  old  coun- 
try, and  came  to  this  country,  with  his  wife  and  children,  on  money  sent 
back  by  his  son  William,  who  had  preceded  the  rest  of  the  family  to 
.America.  He  had  the  following  children:  William,  the  father  of  James 
A,  Stephenson;  Robert,  in  North  Dakota;  Joseph,  who  was  in  the  gov- 
ernment employ  in  \\'ashington,  and  died  there  leaving  sons  and  daugh- 
ters; Ann,  who  was  the  wife  of  Milo  Boutwell  and  who  died  in  St. 
Lawrence,  New  York,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  leaving  two  daughters  and 
a  deaceased  son;  Miss  Mary  was  a  veteran  school  teacher  in  New  York, 
and  on  the  completion  of  her  fifty-sixth  term,  because  of  the  introduction 
of  drawing  into  the  curriculum,  lost  her  place,  and  in  brooding  over  this 
lost  her  mind  and  is  now  in  the  insane  hospital  at  Ogdensburg.  New 
York.  The  mother  cjf  these  children  died  in  1865.  in  Russell,  St.  Law- 
rence count}-.  New  York,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Her  husband  died 
one  month  later,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  aud  within  the  same  month 
their  son  Robert,  who  was  in  the  army,  died  of  tlisease,  and  is  buried  in 
the  government  cemetery  at  \\'ilmington.  North  Carolina. 


-^2  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

William  Steplienson,  the  fatlier  of  James  A.  Stephenson,  wlio  is  an 
octogenarian  li\ing  in  Edwards,  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  was 
born  near  Belfast,  county  Antrim,  Ii-eland,  in  1816.  In  1831,  a  lad  of 
fifteen,  he  ventured  alone  across  the  Atlantic,  and  during  the  voyage  of 
eight  weeks  thirty-two  of  the  passengers  and  crew  died  of  the  cholera. 
In  1839  he  married  Helen  Watson,  who  was  born  in  Ballston  Springs, 
New  York,  August  21,  1825,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Helen  (Kerr) 
Watson,  and  of  this  union  there  were  born  twelve  children.  The  eldest, 
a  son,  died  in  infancy;  Robert,  born  June  i,  1842,  died  May  16,  1865, 
as  mentioned  above:  Ammire,  born  March  25,  1844,  is  the  widow  of  Les- 
ter Winslow  and  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Curtis,  of  Embarrass,  Wisconsin; 
Rachael,  born  September  3,  1846,  is  the  wife  of  Edgar  Reed,  in  Russell, 
New  York,  and  has  one  son;  William  G.,  born  June  9,  1849,  is  a  farmer 
in  St.  Lawrence  county,  and  has  a  wife  and  two  daughters  living,  having 
lost  two;  Charles  W.,  born  July  16,  1851,  is  a  commercial  traveler  at 
Pottsdam,  New  York,  and  has  a  daughter  living  and  lost  one;  Helen, 
bcrn  August  23,  1853,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  O'Neil,  in  Herman,  New 
"^'1.  rk,  and  has  two  sons:  Theodore  P.,  born  December  16,  1855,  in 
Edwards,  New  York,  a  miller,  Inst  his  only  child :  a  child  born  July  8, 
1857,  is  deceased;  Lucina  E.  is  the  widow  of  William  Webb,  in  Water- 
town,  New  York,  and  has  one  daughter;  James  A  is  the  eleventh  child; 
and  Roberta,  born  June  5,  1866,  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Raymond,  owner 
and  proprietor  of  the  largest  hotel  in  Adams,  New  York.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  ALirch  28,  1896.  Their  father  is  still  living  with 
his  children,  and  has  made  three  visits  here  to  his  son  in  Nebraska,  making 
the  last  one  alone  and  when  he  was  eighty-four  years  old.  He  is  a  man 
of  self-acquired  education,  and  is  still  a  great  reader  and  bright  corre- 
spondent. He  stands  erect  and  is  agile  for  his  age,  and  with  powers  of 
body  and  mind  still  intact  would  pass  for  twenty  years  younger  than  he 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  73 

is.     He  had  charge  of  tlie  recruits  at  Malone,  New  York,  during  the  Civil 
v,-ar,  having  the  rank  of  colonel 

James  A.  Stephenson  was  married  February  3,  1884,  at  Corning, 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Louise  Watson,  who  was  born  in  Edwards,  New  York, 
February,  14,  1859,  and  was  the  daughter  by  adoption  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Flack)  Watson,  her  father  being  a  brother  of  Mr.  Stephenson's 
mother.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephenson  first  met  in  New  York,  while  she 
was  on  a  visit  there  in  1882.  She  came  at  an  early  day  to  Nebraska. 
She  was  educated  in  the  Brownville  high  school  and  at  the  Peru  normal, 
and  began  teaching  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  which  she  continued  for  five 
years  in  Nemaha  and  Lancaster  counties.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephenson 
have  four  children.  Robert  W.,  born  on  Christmas  day  of  1885,  also  the 
birthday  of  his  grandfather  and  great-grandfather,  graduated  in  1901 
from  the  Nemaha  high  school  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and  is  still  a 
student;  John  M.,  bom  April  23,  1888,  is  in  the  district  school;  Floyd 
J.,  born  January  8,  1897,  and  Warren  W.,  born  June  13,  1899. 

Mr.  Stephenson  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellov  ■ 
in  which  he  has  passed  the  chairs  and  is  noble  grand.  Mrs.  Stephenson 
is  vice  grand  and  past  noble  grand  in  the  Rebekahs.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  managers  and  a  trustee  in  the  Odd  Fellows.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican, 
having  served  as  school  director.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  has  been  steward. 


74  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

MRS.   HARRIET   HOOVER. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Hoover,  of  Aspinwall  precinct,  Nemaha  city  postoffice, 
is  the  widow  of  the  late  well  known  physician  and  surgeon,  Jerome 
Hoover,  who  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  August  9,  1809,  and 
died  in  this  county,  May  27,  1876  Nemaha  city  owes  much  to  this 
public-spirited  man  and  citizen,  who  was  one  of  the  founders  and  first 
settlers  of  the  town.  He  is  still  cherished  in  affectionate  memory  for  his 
generosity  and  beauty  of  character,  and  his  name  and  deeds  are  not  likely 
to  be  soon  forgotten.  He  had  settled,  shortly  after  his  marriage  in  1849, 
on  a  ranch  in  Indiana,  \\hich  he  soon  afterward  bought  and  on  which 
he  remained  two  years,  and  then  came  to  Nebra.ska  and  pre-empted  the 
townsite  of  this  town.  The  fine  park  which  adorns  the  town  was  donated 
by  him.  He  had  inherited  property,  and  made  money  in  his  undertakings. 
He  was  liberal  to  a  fault,  and  while  this  made  him  an  ideal  citizen  it 
prevented  the  accumulation  of  means  which  otherwise  his  ability  would 
have  accomplished.  As  a  Republican  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature, 
but  declined  to  be  a  candidate  after  that.  He  was  foremost  in  everything 
affecting  the  welfare  of  the  town  and  its  citizens,  and  his  high  ideals 
and  enterprising  spirit  were  responsible  for  much  good  that  was  accom- 
plished there. 

Mr.  Hoover  was  a  son  of  W'iUiam  Henry  Hoo\'er,  a  miller  of 
Indiana,  and  his  wife  Sarah  Curtis,  a  native  of  Bath.  North  Carolina. 
The  latter  died  in  Indiana  past  middle  life,  and  he  died  in  Nebra.ska  at 
the  age  of  seventv-five.  They  had  come  here  from  Indiana  in  1853  and 
settled  at  Nemaha  city.     They  reared  four  sons  and  five  daughters. 

j\lr.  Hoover  was  first  married  to  Miss  Ann  Prill,  on  August  28, 
1829,  and  they  had  nine  children,  eight  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  the 
three   who  grew   up  were  as   follows:  \Villiam   H.,   who  was  born   in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  75 

Ohio,  January  14,  1833;  Burl.  J.,  born  December  Jj,  1835,  died  January 
17,  1904;  and  Johnson  P.,  born  August  27,  1837,  and  died  in  Nemaha 
county  in  1900,  leaving  one  son. 

Mrs.  Hoover,  who  married  Mr.  Hoover,  July  4,  1849,  soon  after  her 
eighteenth  birthday,  was  in  maidenhood  Harriet  Tann,  and  was  born 
in  Monroe  county,  New  York,  December  20,  1830,  and  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm  and  received  but  limited  education.  Her  parents  were 
John  and  Rachael  (Doud)  Tann,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  and 
married  in  England,  and  of  his  seven  children  six  were  born  in  England 
and  one  in  New  York.  His  first  wife  died,  and  he  was  married  in  1826 
to  Mrs.  Hoover's  mother,  by  whom  there  were  six  children.  Mary  Ann. 
the  wife  of-  Moses  Ward,  died  in  Indiana,  and  her  fi\-e  children  died 
soon  after;  Frederick  Tann.  a  farmer  at  Rockport  !\Iissouri,  died  leaving 
three  children  and  had  lost  five:  IMrs.  Hoover  is  the  third  of  these  chil- 
dren; Elizabeth  is  the  widow  of  Burl.  J.  Hoo\'er.  mentioned  above; 
Lorenzo  died  of  a  wound  received  in  the  Civil  war.  lea\ing  two  daugh- 
ters; and  Arthur  died  at  the  age  of  eight  months.  The  father  of  these 
children  died  in  1839.  lea\-ing  his  widow  without  property,  and  she  was 
afterward  married  to  Alexaniler  Jamieson,  a  southerner,  and  she  died 
in  1843,  ^t  the  age  of  forty-eight. 

Mts.  Hoover  now  resides  with  her  son  F.  E.  Hoover  on  the  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  in  Aspinwall  precinct,  which  was  pre- 
empted by  Johnson  P.  Hoo\-er.  and  which  was  rented  for  several  years 
before  Mrs.  Hoover  took  up  lier  residence  on  it  as  her  favored  spot  for 
passing  the  remaining  years  of  her  long  and  useful  life.  She  has  been 
the  mother  of  nine  children,  and  three  of  them  are  still  spared  to  her, 
and  she  is  also  the  grandmother  of  some  bright  children.  Her  eldest 
child,  a  daughter,  born  in  1850,  died  in  infancy.  IMary  Jane,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,   1852,  died  January    ]8,    1854.      Lawson,    born    February    7, 


76  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

1854,  died  November  19,  1855.  Lucretia,  born  June  6,  1856,  died 
January  6,  1865.  Arthur,  born  May  4,  1858,  died  December  30, 
1865.  Flora,  born  January  12,  1861,  has  her  second  husband,  T.  C. 
Hacker,  Hving  in  Red  Cloud,  Nebraska,  and  she  has  three  children  by 
her  former  marriage.  Frederick  E.,  born  August  5,  1863,  married  Min- 
nie Chambers,  and  they  have  the  following  children :  Forrest  E.,  born 
April  19,  18S6;  Francis,  born  June  8,  188S;  Mabel,  born  February  7, 
1892;  Vera,  born  September  10,  1894;  Velma,  born  July  3,  1899;  and 
Jerome,  born  February  16,  1902.  Edward,  born  May  12,  1865,  died 
October  2'j,  1895.    Harriet  is  the  wife  of  L.  F.  Bradfield,  in  Oklahoma. 


JOHN  FREDERICK. 

John  Frederick,  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  successful  farmers  of 
Hooker  township.  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  residing  on  section  16,  has 
been  in  this  part  of  Southeastern  Nebraska  for  over  thirty  years.  \\''hile 
now  accounted  a  man  of  means,  he  began  life  poor,  and  his  individual 
efforts  have  been  crowned  with  a  more  than  ordinary  degree  of  prosperity. 
He  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  strictly  self-made  men  of  the  county,  as  a 
foreign-born  citizen  who  took  loyal  part  in  the  Ci\il  war,  and  as  a  man 
who  can  be  relied  upon  for  help  and  co-operation  in  all  things  affecting 
the  public  welfare  of  his  county  and  community. 

Mr.  Frederick  was  born  in  Wurtenberg,  Germany  February  11, 
1847,  ^  son  of  Lewis  and  Catherine  (Francis)  Ferderick,  who  brought 
their  family  to  America  in  1854,  settling  first  in  Marylard,  then  in  St. 
Clsir  county,  Illinois,  and  later  in  Missouri.  His  father  died  in  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  but  his  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  ninety-three,  and  re- 
tains the  energy  and  vitality  sufficient  to  walk  two  miles.      The  three 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  77 

children  living  are  JNIary,  in  Beatrice,  John,  and  Lizzie,  in  Gage  connty, 
Nebraska.     They  were  all  Lutherans. 

John  Frederick  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  worked  out  by  the  month 
for  several  years  after  attaining  his  majority.  He  was  only  fifteen 
years  old  when  he  enlisted  from  Springfield,  Illinois,  as  a  drummer  boy 
in  Company  F,  Eighty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  under  Captain  Weaver 
and  Colonel  Hecker.  He  was  at  Chancellorsville,  Jackson,  Gettysburg, 
Lookout  Mountain,  in  the  Georgia  •campaign,  at  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Burnt  Hickory,  at  Atlanta,  and  many  other  engagemerits.  He 
was  captured  and  held  prisoner  in  the  ill-famed  Libby  prison  for  sixty 
days,  but  was  then  liberated,  and  after  a  short  time  went  home.  It  was 
after  a  three  days'  march  out  of  Savannah,  Mr.  Frederick  and  a  companion 
went  off  from  the  regiment  foraging,  and  while  sitting  in  a  log  cabin 
about  a  dozen  "Joimnies"  came  upon  them.  The  doors  of  the  cabin  were 
instantly  closed  and  a  volley  fired  from  the  window,  killing  one  man  and  a 
horse.  The  Johnnies  started  to  run  but  finally  decided  to  return,  and 
did  so,  firing  many  shots  through  the  door  in  a  room  occupied  by  several 
parties,  three  chil'iren  being  in  the  room,  but  no  one  was  killed.  Mr. 
Frederick  and  his  companion  were  captured  and  later  landed  in  prison. 
On  the  v>ay  several  times  threats  were  made  to  kill  the  prisoners  but  one 
level-headed  man  pre^^ailed  upon  the  rest  not  to  kill  them.  For  the 
last  two  years  (;1  his  ser\'ice  he  carried  a  gun  in  the  ranl's.  He  was 
honorably  discharged  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  January,  1865,  having 
gained  an  excellent  record  as  a  soldier.  He  had  some  narrow  escapes, 
and  once  had  a  comrade  shot  down  at  his  side.  He  was  frugal  and 
diligent  from  early  youth,  and  with  what  he  had  saved  he  came  to  Ne- 
braska in  1870  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Gage  county 
for  seven  dollars  and  a  cpiarter  per  acre.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  this  county,  and  it  is  worth  sixty  dollars  an  acre,  and  is 


78  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

finely  improved  with  good  house,  barns  and  a  grove  of  seven  acres.  It 
is  a  model  farmstead,  one  of  the  many  pretty  places  of  which  Gage 
county  can  boast. 

Air.  Frederick  was  married  November  12.  1878,  to  Elizabeth  Gillett, 
who  came  here  from  Rock  county.  Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
a  daughter  of  Hamilton  and  JMargaret  (Day)  Gillett,  the  former  a  resi- 
dent of  Adams,  Nebraska,  and  the  latter  deceased.  Nine  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick:  Margaret,  Martha,  William, 
Lydia,  Andrew,  Harrison,  Jesse,  Robert  and  Faura.  Mr.  Frederick  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  post  at 
Adams,  and  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


CHARFES  R.  HACKER. 

Charles  R.  Hacker,  county  clerk  of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  was 
born  on  his  uncle's  farm,  now  the  Nemaha  county  poor  farm,  August  29, 
1866,  and  all  his  life  has  been  identified  with  this  county. 

Mr.  Hacker's  ancestors  were  residents  of  the  Old  Dominion.  His 
grandfather,  David  Hacker,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  July  24,  1797. 
Moving  to  what  was  then  called  the  west,  he  lived  in  Ohio  and  Indiana, 
and  when  the  Ci\'il  war  was  inaugin-ated,  although  then  well  advanced  in 
years,  his  patriotism  was  shown  by  his  volunteer  service.  As  a  member 
of  Company  D,  Thirty-seventh  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  known  as  the 
"Graybeard  Regiment,"  he  performed  faithful  duty  in  the  ranks,  and 
died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri  June  20,  1863.  He  and  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Catherine  Gile,  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
six  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  namely:  James  Malcomb;  Agnes  Jane, 
wife  of  Robert  Stogdel,  was  born  in  1827  and  died  April  22,  1892  ;  Eliza- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  79 

beth  Ann,  born  November  30,  1828,  died  September  12,  1850;  Sarab, 
wbo  died  in  infancy;  WiUiam  S.,  born  April  13,  1834.  died  Jannary  20, 
1899;  Jobn  Wesley,  born  Febrnary  26,  1838,  died  September  22,.  1897; 
and  Francis  Asbnry,  tlie  only  snrvix'or  of  tbe  family,  was  born  July  11. 
1843,  and    is  engaged  in  farming  in  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska. 

James  Malcomb  Hacker,  the  father  of  Charles  R.,  was  born  at  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  September  12,  1825,  and  died  in  Auburn.  Nebraska,  January 
25.  1902.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Nemaha  county,  having  come 
to  this  county  in  1858,  from  F.wa,  to  which  jjlace  he  had  emigrated  from 
Ohio.  Not  long  after  coming  to  Nebraska  he  moved  to  Kansas,  but  re- 
turned shortly  afterward  to  this  state  and  county,  of  which  he  was  an 
honored  citizen  for  forty  years.  By  occupation  he  was  a  civil  engineer 
and  for  many  years  filled  the  office  of  county  surveyor,  and  he  also  filled 
other  public  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  in  Nemaha  county.  For 
three  terms  he  was  county  clerk,  and  he  was  deputy  in  that  office  under 
County  Clerks  Culbertson  and  Hubbard.  Fraternally  he  was  identified 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Odd  Fellows,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  first  organization  for  more  than  thirty  years  and 
having  received  all  the  degrees  up  to  and  including  the  Scottish  Rite,  and 
was  an  I.  O.  O.  F.  for  over  fifty  years.  Politically  he  affiliated  with  the 
Whigs  in  early  life  and  when  the  Republican  party  came  into  existence 
he  harmonized  with  it  and  gave  it  his  enthusiastic  support.  As  a  youth 
he  took  an  active  interest  in  the  William  Henry  Harrison  campaign.  His 
last  vote  he  cast  in  the  fall  of  1901.  when  he  helped  to  elect  his  own  son, 
Charles  R..  to  the  office  of  county  clerk.  Religiously  he  was  a  life-long 
Methodist.  March  8,  1851.  he  married  Miss  Mary  Jane  Fairbrother, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana.  January  28,  1831,  daughter  of  Arnold  L.  and 
Mary  (Jane)  Fairbrother,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Indiana.     The  children  of  James  M.  and  Mary  J.   Hacker  are: 


So  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

James  Olney ;  George  Washington ;  William  Thomas :  Charles  R. ; 
Francis  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years;  Marietta,  wife  of 
Wesley  H.  Clark,  died  March  2,  1898,  leaving  five  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living,  two  daughters  with  their  grandmother  and  two  sons  with 
their  father;  and  Harvey  David.  All  are  married  except  William 
Thomas,  who  is  a  gold  miner  in  the  Black  Hills. 

Charles  R.  Hacker,  with  the  other  children  in  the  family,  was 
reared  on  the  farm,  which  his  mother  managed  with  their  assistance 
while  the  father  was  in  Brownville  and  Auburn,  attending  to  his  official 
business.  The  farm  on  which  they  lived  was  sold  in  1888  and  the  family 
moved  to  Auburn,  where  Charles  R.  has  since  lived,  and  where  he  has, 
in  a  measure,  succeeded  to  the  position  occupied  by  his  honored  father. 
As  already  stated  in  this  article,  he  was  elected  to  the  county  clerk's 
office  in  the  fall  of  1901  and  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1903,  and  is  now 
filling  that  position. 

Mr.  Hacker  was  married,  February  8,  1903,  to  Miss  Elsie  Hacker, 
a  third  cousin,  and  they  reside  with  his  mother  in  Auburn.  Like  his 
parents,  Mr.  Hacker  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as 
also  is  Mrs.  Hacker.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  fraternal 
relations  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


JAMES  E.  DOYLE. 

James  E.  Doyle,  of  Liberty  township.  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  who 
is  adjutant  of  W.  F.  Barry  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Liberty,  Nebraska,  is  one 
of  the  honored  residents  of  this  locality  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  enlisted  at  Bloomfield,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  in  November,  1861, 
for  three  years,  in  Company  E,  Fifty-ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 


JAMES   E.    DOYLE 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  8i 

and  after  a  long  and  liDiiorable  service  returned  to  more  peaceful  pur- 
suits. 

He  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  i8jo.  being  a  sou  of  George 
and  Orpah  (Webb)  Doyle.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wagon  and  car- 
riage maker  at  Xewcomerstown.  Ohio.  .After  the  war  he  again  started 
his  shop  as  wagon  and  carriage  maker  at  Bloomfield.  Indiana.  In  this 
state  he  pursued  his  trade  until  18^)-,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  near 
Bloomfield,  and  in  1S83  he  came  to  ("lage  county  and  engaged  in  farming 
where  he  now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  On 
this  he  built  a  comfortable  house,  good  barn,  and  carries  on  general 
farming.  His  success  is  largely  due  to  industry  and  good  management, 
and  he  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  leailing  farmers  of  the  township. 

Mr.  Doyle  was  married  in  Indiana  to  Alary  W'eiser,  of  Ohio.  She 
died  in  1S56.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George  \\'eiser.  She  left  one 
son,  Martin  Doyle.  AJr.  Do}le  was  married  a  second  time  in  1861,  his 
wife  being  Sarah  Bender,  of  Indiana.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George 
Bender.  The  children  born  to  Air.  and  Airs.  Do)le  were  as  follows 
Orpah  Egbert;  Laura  Snyder:  Alatilda  Akins ;  James  S. :  Frances  L., 
deceased;  Thomas;  Ida;  William;  Arvilla;  Lillian  Spence;  Jessie;  Alary 
B. ;  George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years:  and  Delphin  L., 
deceasetl.  The  political  faith  of  Air.  Doyle  is  Republican  and  he  is  an 
active  worker  for  the  party.  He  ser\-ed  for  six  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont,  and  he  has  voted 
for  every  Republican  nominee  for  president  since  then.  For  man)' 
years  he  has  been  a  Alason  and  is  connected  with  lodge  Xo.  65.  He  also 
ser\-ed  as  commander  of  his  post,  and  is  now  its  adjutant,  and  has 
ahvavs  been  very  active  in  G.  .A.  R.  matters. 


82  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

JOHN  HENRY  DUNDAS. 

John  Henry  Dundas,  editor,  lecturer  and  Chautauqua  manager, 
Auburn,  Nebraska,  was  born  near  Aurora,  in  Kane  county,  lUinois, 
October  14,  1845.  ^'^r.  Dundas  is  of  Irish  descent,  his  father,  James 
Dundas,  having  been  Ijorn  in  county  Fermanagh,  in  the  north  of  Ireland, 
April  22,  1800.  In  1822,  with  his  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters,  James 
Dundas  left  the  Emerald  Isle  and  sailed  for  .\merica,  landing  in 
Montreal  after  a  long  and  eventful  voyage  on  which  the  vessel's  crew 
mutinied  against  a  brutal  captain  whom  they  put  in  chains.  In  the  old 
country  James  Dundas  was  a  farmer  and  steward  for  an  English  noble- 
man, but  after  coming  to  this  country  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
later  in  life,  howe\-er,  returning  to  his  former  occupation,  that  of  farm- 
ing. In  Canada,  in  1828,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Alice  Matthews,  who  was 
born  in  Clinton  county.  New  York,  May  2,  1813,  daughter  of  John  and 
Alice  (Cheatham)  Matthews,  who  came  from  England  shortly  before  her 
birth.  IMr.  ]\Iatthews  was  a  watchmaker.  In  1845,  after  the  death  of  his 
parents  in  Canada,  James  Dundas  moved  with  his  family  to  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  settled  on  a  three  hundred-acre  tract  of  prairie  land, 
which  he  developed  into  a  fine  farm  and  where  he  lived  for  eighteen 
years.  In  1863  he  came  to  Nebraska  and  took  up  his  abode  where 
Auburn  now  is,  that  being  before  Auburn  existed,  and  here  he  became 
the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land,  on  which  he 
made  his  home.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Wesley,  \Aho  died  in  Auburn,  in  1900,  leaving  a 
family  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters;  Alice  Lucinda,  deceased  wife 
of  Amos  Hall,  died  in  Prairieville,  Michigan,  in  1874.  and  left  two 
sons  and  one  daughter;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Fletcher  Palmer,  of  Phillips 
county,  Kansas,  has  six  daughters  and  one  son;  Robert  M.,  a  Kansas 
mechanic,  has  a  family  of  six  sons  and  three  daughters;  John  Henry, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  83 

whose  name  introduces  this  sketch;  Irene,  widow  of  W.  A.  Good,  of 
Nuckolls  county,  Nebraska,  has  seven  sons  and  four  daughters;  Charles 
D.,  deceased,  left  a  widow,  four  sons  and  three  daughters;  Oscar  N.,  of 
Riverside,  California,  has  six  sons  and  five  daughters;  and  Lucy  A., 
widow  of  Silas  N.  Miller,  of  Cook,  Nebraska,  has  one  son.  The  father 
of  this  family  died  on  his  Nebraska  farm  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  1S84,  she  too  having  lived  out  three- 
score and  ten  years. 

John  Henry  Dundas  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  stonemason  in  Auburn, 
and  for  several  years  worked  at  his  trade  in  summer  and  taught  school 
in  winter. 

He  was  married  March  29,  1871,  to  Miss  Wealthy  J.  Bishop,  a 
nati\-e  of  Covington,  Kentucky,  born  August  i,  1847,  daughter  of 
^Villiam  and  Mary  (Lusher)  Bishop.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  five  children,  as  follows :  Alta,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
four  months;  Hollis  M.,  wife  of  Samuel  Curtis,  of  Auburn;  Lucius  B., 
who  married  Clara  Brock,  of  Eagle\  ille,  Missouri ;  Ada  V.  and  ^Vendell, 
at  home. 

Mr.  Dundas  has  filled  many  public  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  ser\-ed  several  years  as  assessor,  three  years  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  two  years  as  police  judge,  twelve  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Auburn  Board  of  Education,  and  two  years  in  the  Nebraska  state  senate. 

It  was  in  1884  that  Mr.  Dundas  entered  upon  his  journalistic  work, 
when  he  purchased  the  Rcpnblicaii.  After  conducting  this  paper  two 
years  he  bought  the  Granger,  and  consolidated  the  two,  under  the  name 
of  the  Granger,  a  weekly  publication  devoted  to  every  move  in  the  interest 
of  justice  and  right,  and  in  no  wise  fettered  by  party,  sect  or  creed. 
It  is  a  six-column,  four-page  paper,  published  by  J.  H.  Dundas  &  Son, 


84  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  now  lias  a  rirculation  of  one  thonsand  five  hundred.  In  addition  to 
his  regular  official  and  editorial  work,  Mr.  Dundas  has  always  found 
time  for  much  other  work,  literary  and  otherwise.  He  is  the  author  and 
publisher  of  a  history  of  Nemaha  county,  termed  by  him  "The  Banner 
County  of  Nebraska,"  a  i2mo.,  220  page  volume,  issued  in  1902,  a 
credit  both  to  the  author  and  the  county.  He  is  also  the  publisher  of  a 
book  called  "Every  Man's  Account  Book,"  which  he  has  copyrighted, 
and  which  fills  a  long-felt  want  among  the  common  business  men. 

Mr.  Dundas  attended  the  World's  Congress  of  Religions  in  Omaha, 
and  gave  this  sentiment  as  the  true  basis  of  unity :  "Man's  duty  to  his 
fellow  being  is  his  only  duty  to  his  God ;  and  whatsoever  more  is  taught 
is  born  of  priestcraft,  nurtured  in  superstition,  and  surrounded  with  per- 
nicious results." 

Mr.  Dundas  is  the  father  of  the  Auburn  Chautauqua,  which  was 
organized  in  1899,  and  of  which  he  has  since  been  manager,  and  for  the 
past  two  years  he  has  also  been  manager  of  the  Tecumseh  Chautauqua. 
Both  were  organized  and  are  being  managed  on  the  nonsectarian  plan. 
Mr.  Dundas  takes  a  bold  stand  with  the  advanced  thinkers  of  the  day, 
is  a  sound  reasoner  and  a  fluent  speaker,  and  never  fails  to  bring  con- 
viction to  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his  hearers.  He  places  deeds  above 
creeds  and  sees  sound  religion  in  the  doctries  of  Confucius.  Some  of 
his  popular  lectures  are  as  follows :  "The  Songs  We  Sing,"  "The  Better 
Way  to  Serve  the  Lord,"  "A  Zetetic  Sermon,"  "Everybody  Has  His 
Hobby,"  "The  Religion  of  the  Twentieth  Century,"  "Men  are  Parrots; 
They  Do  Not  Talk,  They  Only  Repeat  Sentences,"  and  "Quit  Your 
Meanness." 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  85 

MYRON  G.  RANDALL. 

Myron  G.  Randall,  a  retired  farmer,  residing  on  his  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Bedford  precinct,  with  postoffice  at  Howe,  has  lived  in 
Nemaha  county  over  forty  years,  ever  since  he  was  a  boy  of  ten  years. 
He  has  been  an  enterprising;  and  successful  agriculturist,  owning  )a.t 
present  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  vicinity,  and  in  affairs  of  citizenship 
has  gained  the  reputation  of  being  a  reliable  and  substantial  man,  who 
may  be  depended  upon  for  public-spirited  co-operation  in  what  pertains 
to  advancement  and  progress. 

When  Mr.  Randall  was  three  years  old  and  was  on  a  visit  with  his 
parents  to  New  York  state,  he  remembers  seeing  his  grandfather  Isaac 
Randall,  who  was  then  an  old  man.  Isaac  Randall  and  his  wife  were 
natives  of  either  Connecticut  or  Rhode  Island,  and  the  former  was  a 
scythe-maker,  and  they  had  seven  .^ons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows : 
William,  Hiram,  Nathan  G.,  Anson,  Philo,  Walter,  a  son  that  died  aged 
about  fifteen,  and  the  two  daughters  were  married  and  died  at  Akron, 
Ohio. 

Nathan  Gorham  Randall,  the  father  of  Myron  G.  Randall,  was  born 
in  New  York  state,  August  22,  1816,  and  died  in  the  home  of  the  latter, 
July  30,  1901,  when  nearly  eighty-five  years  old.  He  was  first  married 
to  Asenath  Lyons,  in  Ohio,  and  their  children  were :  Hiram  Lyons  Ran- 
dall, who  is  surgeon  in  the  soldiers'  home,  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska, 
and  has  lost  his  wife  and  two  small  children  and  has  one  son  and  one 
daughter  living;  George  W.,  was  a  soldier,  and  was  killed  in  action  in 
Missouri,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  and  single;  Elias  Isaac,  a  farmer 
and  Methodist  preacher  for  twenty  years,  died  February  2,  1903,  at  Have- 
lock,  Nebraska,  leaving  a  wife  and  children;  Allen  Duane,  a  farmer  at 
Chapman,  Nebraska,  lost  one  daughter  and  has  four  daughters  and  one 


86  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

son  living.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Nathan  G.  Randall  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Polly  Mary  (Ellis)  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Pompey, 
Onondaga  county.  New  York,  February  24,  1823,  a  daughter  of  Clark 
Ellis.  On  July  4,  1842,  she  was  married  to  Judson  Brown,  who  was 
born  in  New  York,  February  10,  1819,  and  by  this  marriage  there  was 
one  son,  William  Ellis  Brown,  born  September  6,  1843,  ^^ho  was  a 
soldier  in  the  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  a  prisoner  in  Andersonville  and 
Libby,  and  died  in  Nebraska,  September  28,  1890,  leaving  his  widow. 
Nathan  G.  Randall  had  by  his  second  marriage  three  children. 
Myron  G.  is  the  eldest.  Horace  Lafayette  was  born  September  18, 
1838,  and  died  March  6,  1871.  Thyrza  E.,  the  wife  of  W.  I.  Fryer,  in 
Denver,  Colorado,  has  two  daughters  living  and  lost  twins.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  in  Nemaha  county,  December  19,  1901.  Nathan 
G.  Randall  had  come  to  this  part  of  Nebraska  in  1859  from  Dodge 
county,  Wisconsin,  having  stopped  here  on  his  way  to  Pike's  Peak, 
whither  he  was  driving  an  ox  team.  He  pre-empted  eighty  acres  across 
the  road  from  the  present  farm  of  his  son,  and  his  wife  and  children  came 
here  three  years  later.  He  was  in  debt,  but  gradually  acquired  prosperity, 
and  at  his  death  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  two  farms.  At 
her  death  his  wife  gave  this  land  to  Myron  G.  Randall,  and  it  is  the 
nucleus  of  his  present  estate. 

Myron  G.  Randall  was  born  in  Dodge  county.  Wisconsin.  September 
21,  1852,  and  in  his  youth  had  few  advantages,  being  in  the  district  school 
but  little.  He  was  married  Jnne  14,  1876,  to  ]\Iiss  Mary  Eliza  Quinn, 
who  has  become  the  mother  of  six  children.  Sidney  M.  is  farming  the 
home  farm;  Mrs.  Millie  F.  Swope  is  the  wife  of  a  farmer  in  Aspinwall 
precinct;  Merrill  H.  is  farming;  Elsie,  aged  fourteen,  is  at  home,  as  are 
also  Esther,  aged  eight,  and  Alfred,  aged  five.  Mr.  Randall  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  served  on  the  board  of  elections,  and  on  the  school  board 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  87 

for  nine  consecutive  years.  He  has  enjoyed  a  high  degree  of  success  in 
his  hfe  work,  and  he  and  his  family  are  among  the  most  esteemed  of  the 
precinct. 


WILLIAM  R.  CHANEY. 

Wilham  R.  Chaney  is  a  well  known  citizen  of  Adams,  Gage  county, 
Nebraska,  where  he  has  resided  for  a  number  of  years  and  become  identi- 
fied with  the  best  progress  and  material,  intellectual  and  religious  develop- 
ment of  the  town  and  vicinity.  He  is  a  man  of  recognized  integrity  and 
uprightness,  capable  in  the  performance  of  every  duty  devolving  upon 
him,  and  in  every  way  worthy  of  being  classed  with  the  foremost  men 
of  southeastern  Nebraska.  He  has  been  satisfactorily  successful  in  his 
life  work,  and,  having  come  to  his  present  circumstances  through  industry 
and  perseverance,  knows  the  value  of  toil  and  diligence  in  this  workaday 
world.     He  is  also  honored  as  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 

Mr.  Chaney  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Illinois,  October  24,  1840, 
of  a  family  which  settled  in  that  county  in  pioneer  times.  The  ancestry 
is  Irish,  and  Mr.  Chaney's  father,  James  Chaney,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, whence  he  came  to  Greene  county.  His  wife,  Sarah  Smith,  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  came  of  an  old  southern  family,  resident  in 
that  state  for  several  generations.  Both  James  and  Sarah  Chaney  are 
now  deceased,  having  spent  most  of  their  lives  in  Greene  county,  where 
they  had  a  home  noted  for  its  generous  hospitality  and  wholesome  com- 
panionship. 

William  R.  Chaney  was  reared  and  educated  in  Mason  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  perhaps  the  most  valuable  lessons  of  his  youth  were  the  result 
not  of  precept  line  on  line,  but  by  actual  experience  in  practical  labor  in 


88  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

the  field  and  the  hundred  and  one  details  of  farni  Hfe.  In  April,  1864,  he 
enlisted  from  his  native  county  in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
third  Illinois  Infantry,  under  Captain  Collins.  The  regiment  was  ren- 
dezvoused at  Camp  Butler,  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  was  later  put  on  duty 
at  Rock  Island  and  along  the  Mississippi,  and  later  at  Camp  Butler, 
where  Mr.  Chaney  received  his  honorable  discharge  in  October,  1864. 
He  then  lived  in  Mason  county  three  years  and  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
for  some  years,  and  in  1880  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  where  he 
has  been  one  of  the  prosperous  residents  ever  since.  He  awns  thirteen 
acres  in  the  town  of  Adams,  and  this  land  is  so  finely  improved  and  so 
productive  that  it  makes  an  ideal  and  valuable  suburban  estate.  He 
has  a  nice  house,  good  barn,  fruit  and  shade  trees  in  abundance,  and  all 
the  complements  and  accessories  of  a  model  Nebraska  home. 

Mr.  Chaney  was  married  in  Greene  county,  Illinois,  in  1864,  to  Miss 
Pamelia  Finley,  who  has  traveled  life's  way  with  him  for  forty  years, 
and  they  are  co-partners  in  all  its  successes  and  joys.  She  is  a  native  of 
Greene  county,  was  reared  and  educated  there.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Zuriah  and  Matilda  (Mace)  Finley,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Greene  county  and  was  a  son  of  an  early  Kentucky  settler ;  the  latter  was  a 
nati\-e  of  Kentucky,  and  was  eighty-two  years  old  when  she  died.  Mr. 
Chaney  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  does  not  desire  or  aspire  to  office. 
He  affiliates  with  the  Sergeant  Cox  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Adams,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  over  twenty-five 
years  and  passed  through  all  the  chairs,  also  the  grand  lodge  degree,  and 
was  representative  to  same  an  several  occasions. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  89 

J.  LOUIS  ENGEL. 

J.  Louis  Engel,  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Bedford  precinct, 
Howe  postoffice,  Nemaha  county,  settled  here  over  thirty  years  ago.  He 
has  developed  a  raw  and  treeless  tract  of  land  into  a  beautiful  farmstead, 
with  a  grove  of  fruit  and  shade  trees,  comfortable  residence  and  all  neces- 
sary outbuildings,  and  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  his 
productive  land  until  the  last  few  years,  since  which  time  he  has  in  a 
measure  ceased  from  hard  industry,  and  is  spending  the  years  beyond  the 
seventieth  milestone  in  comfort.  When  he  first  located  in  this  country 
he  had  lost  all  the  capital  with  which  he  came,  and  has  thus  worked  his 
way  up  from  the  bottom,  for  which  reason  he  is  all  the  more  deserving 
of  honor  for  what  he  has  accomplished  in  life. 

His  father,  Louis  Engel,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Germany,  January  7,  1800, 
and  died  there  in  1874,  aged  seventy-four  years  and  eighteen  days.  He 
was  a  freehold  farmer  on  three  parcels  of  land,  containing  forty-five 
acres.  His  wife  was  Catherine  Fisher,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five, 
in  185 1  or  1852.  They  had  one  son  and  a  daughter,  Dora,  who  was 
the  mother  of  six  children  and  died  in  Germany  in  1899. 

J.  Louis  Engel,  the  only  son,  was  born  in  Germany,  August  24, 
1829.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  had  a  liberal  schooling  of  eight 
years,  with  one  year  in  a  normal  school.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered 
the  German  army,  and  spent  six  weeks  in  military  service.  He  remained 
in  his  native  land  until  1859,  and  then  took  passage  from'  Havre  for  New 
York,  being  forty-two  days  en  route.  Two  weeks  later  he  arrived  in 
Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  which  he  reached  in  the  first  week  of  June. 
He  took  three  hundred  dollars  from  the  bank  in  New  York,  but  had 
only  twenty-five  cents  when  he  reached  Springfield,  having  been  swindled 
out  of  the  rest  in  some  unaccountable  manner.  He  came  from  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  to  Nebraska  in  1S72,  arriving  in  Brownville  on  the  6th  of 


90  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

October.  He  bought  forty  acres  of  naked  prairie  for  ten  dollars  an  acre, 
and  he  and  his  noble  wife  have  planted  e\ery  tree  which  now  adorns  his 
farm  boundaries.  A  year  later  they  built  their  present  residence.  He 
afterwards  added  eighty  acres  more  to  his  place,  and  he  has  been  prosper- 
ous in  his  work  during  the  subsequent  years. 

February  2,  1856,  Mr.  Engel  was  married  in  Germany  to  Catherine 
(Handle)  Seachrist,  a  widow  Avith  the  following  children:  Catherine 
'  the  wife  of  William  Mayer,  who  came  to  Nebraska  at  the  same  time  with 
i\Ir.  Engel  and  his  wife,  and  they  have  three  children;  Christ  Seachrist 
lives  in  Humboldt,  Nebraska,  and  has  five  children;  Annie  Fredericka, 
is  the  wife  of  Louis  Mayer,  in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  with  two 
sons  and  three  daughters;  and  Fred  Seachrist  is  owner  of  stock  in  a 
mine  in  South  Dakota,  and  has  four  daughters  and  one  son.  Mrs. 
Engel  has  twenty-three  great-grandchildren.  Mrs.  Engel  was  born  in 
Marbach,  Germany,  December  2,  1822,  and  throughout  her  long  life  has 
been  active  and  strong  mentally  and  physically  until  the  last  year  or  so, 
when  she  has  been  in  feeble  health  and  for  the  past  few  months  still 
more  so.  Mr.  Engel  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  served  as  constable 
for  ten  years  during  the  first  years  of  his  residence  here.  He  and  his 
wife  are  Lutherans,  and  are  valued  and  esteemed  citizens  of  the  county 
in  which  they  have  resided  so  long  and  been  such  important  factors  in 
the  growth  and  development  of  this  portion  of  southeastern  Nebraska. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  91 

WILLIAM  H.  STOWELL. 

William  H.  Stowell,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Auburn  Post,  is  a 
prominent  factor  in  the  business  and  social  circles  of  Auburn,  Nebraska. 
Mr.  Stowell  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  dates  his  birth  in  Leroy, 
May  3,  1855.  His  father,  Luther  K.  Stowell,  was  born  in  Cazenovia, 
New  York,  October  18,  1823.  son  of  Calvin  B.  Stowell.  The  Stowell 
family  originally  came  to  this  country  from  England,  the  time  of  their 
settlement  here  being  in  colonial  days.  Early  history  shows  them  to  have 
been  mechanics  and  farmers,  honest  and  industrious,  occupying  repre- 
sentative places  among  the  people  of  the  various  localities  in  which  they 
lived.  Calvin  B.  Stowell  was  a  blacksmith.  He  was  born  in  1794,  and 
it  is  supposed  he  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire.  He  died  in  Darien, 
New  York,  in  1878.  Thrice  married,  he  reared  a  large  family  of 
children,  namely ;  seven  sons  and  one  daughter  by  his  first  wife,  one  son 
by  the  second,  and  one  daughter  by  the  third.  Luther  K.  was  one  of  the 
sons  by  the  first  marriage,  his  mother  being  Olive  Sabine,  and  he  is 
now  a  resident  of  Leroy,  New  York ;  has  been  married  twice  and  has 
outlived  both  of  his  companions.  He  first  married,  March  19,  1854,  Miss 
Janette  McGregor,  who  was  born  near  Leroy,  New  York,  in  1830, 
daughter  of  John  McGregor,  a  Scotchman;  and  the  only  child  of  this 
marriage  was  William  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Janette 
Stowell  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years.  Subsequently  Mr.  Stowell 
married  ]\Iiss  Sarah  Thomas,  who  bore  him  one  son,  Ernest  C.  Since 
her  death  the  father  has  resided  with  his  son. 

^Villiam  H.  Stowell  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  improved  the 
opportunities  he  had  for  obtaining  an  education  in  the  public  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  a  career  as  school  teacher,  a  career  which 
covered  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  it  was  while  he  was  thus  occupied  that 
he  entered  upon  journalistic  work  as  a  newspaper  correspondent.     July  i. 


92  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

1886,  he  began  the  publication  of  the  J'cdcttc.  in  Verdon,  Nebraska, 
which  he  edited  and  published  -weekly  for  nine  and  a  half  years.  Then, 
in  October,  1895,  he  came  to  Auburn  and  purchased  the  Auburn  Post, 
which  he  has  since  successfully  conducted,  owning  both  the  building  and 
the  plant,  and  in  connection  with  the  publication  of  the  paper  also  doing 
a  job  printing  business,  employing  from  three  to  six  compositors.  While 
in  Verdon  Mr.  Stowell  and  four  others  organized  a  pioneer  association, 
known  as  the  Richardson  County  Pioneer  Society,  and  in  connection 
with  that  he  published  "The  Pioneer  Record,"  a  quarterly  pamphlet, 
some  three  years,  and  after  he  came  to  Auburn  he  continued  it  three 
months  as  a  monthly  publication,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  out. 
From  1896  to  1899  he  published  the  Nebraska  State  Poultry  Journal, 
which  was  issued  each  month.  The  Auburn  Post  is  a  weekly  paper, 
published  on  Friday ;  is  Republican  in  politics,  up-to-date  in  every  respect, 
and  its  columns  show  that  it  has  plenty  of  the  right  kind  of  enterprise  and 
push  that  are  necessary  to  success  in  the  newspaper  line.  As  the  Repub- 
lican organ,  the  Post  exerts  a  potent  influence  that  is  felt  for  the  good 
of  the  party. 

Mr.  Stowell  married,  January  30,  1883,  Carrie  D.  Robertson,  a 
native  of  Cambridge,  New  York,  born  December  25,  i860,  daughter 
of  John  and  Adeline  (Parke)  Robertson,  now  residents  of  Verdon, 
Nebraska.  Previous  to  her  marriage  Mrs.  Stowell  was  for  several  years 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  They  have  two  children,  Frank  L.  and 
Helen  M.,  both  attending  school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stowell  are  regular  attendants  upon  worship  at  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  they  are  worthy  members.  Fraternally, 
he  belongs  to  the  ^^'oodmen  of  the  World.  ' 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  93 

WILLIAM  H.  McININCH. 

^\'illiam  H.  Mclninch,  a  retired  farmer  in  Auburn,  with  a  fine  farm 
in  London  precinct,  Brownville  postoffice,  is  one  of  the  oldest  hving 
settlers  of  Xemaha  county  and  likewise  one  of  its  most  successful  farmers 
and  business  men.  He  be.s^an  life  in  youth  with  no  capital,  and  since 
earning-  his  first  money  his  record  has  been  one  of  constant  progress.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  large  landowners  of  the  county,  but  most  of  it  he 
has  either  sold  or  allotted  to  his  children.  In  addition  to  his  material 
prosperity,  he  has  been  generous  with  personal  work  and  means  in  aiding 
the  cause  of  religion  and  education,  and  has  never  failed  to  give  a  good 
account  of  himself  in  whatever  relation  he  has  been  placed  with  society 
and  his  fellow  citizens. 

!Mr.  jMcIninch  was  born  in  Tuscarora  county,  Ohio.  ■March  jo,  1S36. 
His  grandfather,  James  Mclninch,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  had  two 
children,  John  and  Sarah. 

John  ]\lclninch,  the  only  son  of  James  jMcIninch,  was  born  in  New 
York  city,  July  29,  1808,  and  died  in  Nebraska,  January  16,  1894.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  New  York  city,  and  was  a  school  teacher  in 
Ohio  and  Missouri.  He  was  married  in  Tuscarora  county,  Ohio,  April 
2,  1829,  to  Miss  Sarah  Johnson,  who  was  born  on  Laurel  Hill  creek, 
Pennsylvania,  September  22,  1813,  and  died  in  Andrew  county,  Mis- 
souri, in  1851.  They  were  parents  of  eight  children:  Esop  Edgar,  born 
in  Tuscarora  county,  Ohio,  in  1830,  died  in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  in 
1862,  ha\-ing  been  a  pioneer  there  in  1852;  he  was  unmarried,  and  left 
an  estate  including  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  had  been  gi\-en 
him  by  the  United  States  government.  Charles  Postly  Mclninch,  born  in 
1834,  was  named  after  his  maternal  great-uncle  a  prominent  and  wealthy 
New  Yorker,  who  has  one  of  the  fine  monuments  that  adorn  Greenwood 


94  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

cemetery  of  that  city;  C.  P.  Mclninch  died  in  Oklahoma  in  1901,  leaving 
a  family  of  sons  and  daughters  ^vho  are  now  scattered  throughout  the 
southwest.  Benjamin  F.  Mclninch  is  in  Nemaha  county.  William  H. 
is  the  fourth  of  the  children.  Le\'i  Johnson,  a  teacher,  died  while  at 
his  work  in  Canton,  Ohio,  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  a  wife  and  a 
daughter.  Catherine  Ann  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  while  with  her 
aunt  and  uncle  Caldwell  in  New  York  city.  Amos  Auderson  is  a  retired 
merchant  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  has  three  sons.  David  G.  is  a 
farmer  east  of  St.  Joseph,  and  has  three  daughters  and  one  son. 

William  H.  Mclninch  was  reared  on  a  farm,  having  limited  edu- 
cational advantages  in  the  primitive  schoolhouses  of  the  time  and  locality. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  soon  after  his  modier's  death,  he  left  home 
and  went  with  Hux  Bi\-ens  to  drive  stock  across  the  plains  to  Oregon. 
He  was  four  and  a  half  months  from  St.  Joseph,  i\lissouri,  to  Albany, 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  and  from  there  he  went  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
California  in  the  spring  of  1854.  He  was  engaged  in  placer  gold  mining 
there  until  the  fall  of  1857,  and  then  returned  home  l)y.way  of  New  York 
city,  and  in  the  same  fall  came  to  this  part  of  Nebraska  and  pre-empted 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  still  forms  part  of  his  farm, 
pa}-ing  for  it  with  a  Mexican  land  warrant.  There  wQvt  but  few  settlers 
here  then,  the  nearest  neighbor  being  a  mile  away.  The  landscape 
presented  a  picture  of  an  undulating  stretch  of  prairie,  covered  with 
wild  flowers  and  grass,  and  was  a  dreary  scene  to  one  accustomed  to  the 
roll  and  woodland  of  more  eastern  states.  He  made  his  first  dwelling  of 
one  room,  built  of  poles,  and  with  one  door  and  one  window,  and  its 
dimensions  were  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet.  He  later  helped  a  squatter 
prove  up  some  land,  and  received  a  deed  for  forty  acres  on  Snow  Island, 
on  which  he  built  a  log  and  mud  cabin.  In  i860,  soon  after  his  marriage, 
he  bought  seventy-fi\e  acres  one  mile  southwest  of  his  place,   for  one 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  95 

tliousand  dollars,  and  his  later  purchases  were :  Five  acres  of  timher  on 
the  bluffs  near  Brownville,  for  one  hundred  and  twenty-fi\-e  dollars; 
forty  acres  of  timber  for  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars ;  eighty  acres 
of  prairie  southeast  of  this  farm  for  two  thousand  dollars:  eighty  acres 
west  for  eighteen  hundred ;  eighty  acres  of  improved  land  foi"  fifteen  hun- 
dred;  eighty  acres  which  he  purchased  near  by  in  1894  for  thirty-six 
hundred:  forty  acres  one  mile  south  at  fourteen  hundred;  and  in  1901  he 
purchased  a  half  a  block  in  Auburn  on  which  he  has  erected  a  beautiful 
home  for  his  permanent  residence.  He  paid  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars  to  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  institution,  Missouri  Walley  Col- 
lege, at  Marshall,  Missouri,  and  has  a  lot  there  on  which  he  has  paid 
taxes  for  ten  years.  He  has  sold  and  traded  a  great  deal  of  land,  and 
his  present  farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  in  the 
family  there  are  over  fifteen  hundred  acres,  with  eight  sets  of  buildings. 
Mr.  Mclninch.  with  the  help  and  co-operation  of  his  wife,  has  made 
all  he  has.  He  earned  his  first  money  by  working  on  a  farm  in  Missouri 
for  Tom  McDonald  at  ten  dollars  and  a  half  a  month.  The  second  house 
which  he  built  in  Nebraska  was  of  hewn  logs,  and  it  is  now  doing  duty 
as  a  stable.  This  was  replaced  by  the  present  brick,  story  and  a  half, 
house,  which  was  built  twenty-three  years  ago,  and  is  beautifully  sur- 
rounded with  flowers  and  groves  which  make  it  a  bower  of  beauty  nearly 
all  year.  He  has  an  apple  orchard  of  ten  acres,  besides  a  large  variety  of 
other  fruits,  especially  peaches.  He  has  sold  one  ten-acre  orchard,  and 
has  two  others,  and  has  planted  twenty  acres  to  fruit.  His  leading  crop 
is  corn,  of  which  he  plants  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,  and  from  one  hundred  and  six  acres  in  1902  he  sold  5750  bushels. 
He  has  often  raised  as  much  as  ten  thousand  bushels  of  corn.  He  and 
his  wife  are  about  to  ensconce  themselves  in  the  new  home  in  Auburn, 


96  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  tlie  maiden  daughter  and  youngest  son  will  remain  on  the  farm  and 
manage  it. 

Mr.  Mclninch  volunteered  on  July  6,  1862,  at  Bro\vn\'ille,  Nebraska, 
and  was  enrolled  in  Company  G_,  Second  Kansas  Cavalry,  with  which  lie- 
saw  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  for  three  years.  He  was  under 
Generals  Blunt  and  Steele  in  Arkansas.  He  was  captured  at  Poison 
Springs,  and  was  held  a  prisoner  for  nine  months  in  Tyler  and  Camp 
Gross,  Texas.  After  his  capture  he  knew  he  would  be  reported  among 
the  dead,  and  he  took  the  first  opportunity  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the 
Confederate  officers,  who  permitted  him  to  send  a  letter  to  his  young  wife, 
informing  her  of  his  real  circumstances.  This  prison  experience  was  the 
worst  of  all  his  life,  and  he  suffered  every  physical  torment  except  death, 
two  hundred  and  ten  of  his  companions  in  misery  dying  of  disease, 
mostly  of  yellow  fever.  He  was  finally  paroled  and  sent  north,  being 
luustered  out  at  Fort  Gibson,  Indian  Territory,  and  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged at  Lawrence,  Kansas.  The  government  paid  him  for  his  horse 
and  equipment  and  the  clothing  he  had  lost,  and  he  also  received  twenty- 
five  dollars  a  month  while  in  the  service,  having  furnished  his  own 
horse.  He  also  got  four  dollars  a  month  pension,  which  was  later  raised 
to  eight  dollars,  and  is  now  twelve. 

Mr.  Mclninch  was  married  on  January  27,  1859,  to  Miss  Catherine 
L.  Dunkle,  who  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river,  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, April  8,  1842,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Dunkle. 
Henry  Dunkle  was  a  carpenter  and  boatbuilder,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six,  lea\ing  his  wife  and  this  one  daughter,  having  lost  one 
daughter  at  the  age  of  four.  His  widow  afterward  had  eight  children 
iiy  James  Emmons,  and  she  died  at  Tecumseh,  Nebraska,  in  the  fall  of 
1902,  when  nearly  eighty-three  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Mclninch  came 
with  the  family  in  1856  by  water  as  far  as  Omaha,  thence  to  Atchison 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  97 

county,  Missouri,  and  her  step-father  took  a  claim  in  Nemaha  county. 
The  latter  died  in  1890,  when  about  seventy-eight  years  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mclninch  have  had  ten  children :  Ophelia  is  the  wife 
of  Casmer  Barnes;  James  H.  is  a  farmer  near  here,  and  has  a  wife  and 
one  son;  Willa  Kate,  born  in  1864  while  her  father  was'  in  the  army,  was 
named  after  her  father  and  mother;  David  P.  is  a  farmer  oni  the  Auburn 
road,  and  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter:  Clara  Belle  is  the  wife  of 
D.  E.  Zook,  a  farmer  near  here,  and  has  six  children  living ;  M.  S.  is  an 
attorney  in  Auburn,  and  is  married ;  Charles  D.  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  months ;  Barnett  J.,  unmarried,  is  on  the  home  farm  and  in  part- 
nership with  his  father;  one  son  died  in  infancy;  and  Julia  Nellie  is  a 
student  in  the  Auburn  high  school,  class  of  1904. 

Mr.  Mclninch  now  votes  the  Prohibition  ticket,  having  come  over 
from  the  Democratic  ranks  .  He  is  one  of  the  surviving  members  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  been  a  school  director,  but  has  had 
little  time  for  active  participation  in  public  or  political  affairs.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church,  and  the 
children  have  been  baptized  in  the  church.  He  is  an  elder,  and  has  been  a 
member,  of  the  assembly  three  times.: 


PETER  CAREY. 

Peter  Carey  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  residents  of  the 
town  of  Peru,  where  for  thirty-five  years  he  has  been  a  familiar  figure 
in  the  streets  and  personally  known  to  every  citizen  both  through  ofificial 
and  business  connections  and  social  and  personal  association.  He  is  the 
pioneer  and  oldest  established  drayman  of  the  place,  has  carried  nearly 
all  the  mail  that  the  town  has  e\er  received  or  sent,  and  in  his  duties  as 


98  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

chief  police  officer  and  representative  of  the  majesty  of  the  law  has  on 
more  than  one  occasion  made  a  reputation  for  coohiess  and  courage 
wliile  upholding  law  and  order.  In  every  relation  of  life,  wliether  as 
soldier  on  the  hardfought  battlefields  of  the  great  Civil  war,  as  a  business 
man,  as  a  public  official,  or  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  he  has  been 
efficient,  enterprising,  industrious,  honest  and  brave,  and  deserves  the 
regard  and  respect  which  are  so  gratefully  accorded  him  by  all  who 
know  him. 

i\Ir.  Carey  was  born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  January  12.  1838, 
a  son  of  Peter  and  Matilda  (Constantine)  Carey.  Avho  were  of  English 
descent  and  both  natives  of  New  ^'ork  city,  where  the  former  was  born 
February  28,  181 1,  and  they  were  married  in  1832.  Peter  Carey,  Sr., 
was  a  baker  in  New  York  city,  but  after  his  marriage  went  to  Illinois 
and  engaged  in  farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in 
1898,  and  his  wife  in  1883.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living:  Margaret,  who  has  some  ten  children; 
Peter ;  and  Cyrena  Clans,  who  is  a  widow  in  Pike  coutity,  Illinois,  and 
has  two  children. 

Mr.  Carey  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Illinois,  and  enjoyed 
common  school  educational  privileges.  When  the  Ci\-il  war  came  on  he 
volunteered,  in  July,  1861,  in  Company  K,  Second  Illinois  Cavalry,  and 
ga\-e  four  years  and  two  months  of  loyal  and  devoted  service  to  the 
country  which  he  loves  so  well.  He  was  commissary  sergeant  of  his 
company.  He  was  many  times  exposed  to  the  missiles  of  death  and  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  but  his  reckless  courage  and  dashing  impetuosity 
seemed  invulnerable,  although  bullets  often  pierced  his  clolhes  and  his 
comrades  fell  beside  him.  At  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  his  regiment 
was  captured,  and  he  was  the  last  man  to  be  taken,  and  it  was  almost  a 
miracle  that  he  was  not  shot  down  for  his  brave  resistance.     He  was  in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  _     99 

hospital  at  New  Orleans  for  some  two  weeks,  being  afflicted  witli  a 
peculiar  southern  fever,  wliicli  caused  him  to  sleep  soundly  from  sunrise 
to  sunset,  and  the  only  cure  was  a  change  of  climate.  \\'hen  he  was 
captured  he  weighed  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  and  only  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  on  his  release,  but  after  leaving  New  Orleans  he 
gained  a  pound  a  day  until  he  weighed  one  hundred  and  seventy-six 
pounds.  He  received  his  honorable  discharge  at  St.  Augustine,  Texas, 
September  25,  1865. 

He  then  returned  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming  for  two  years. 
He  came  to  Peru,  Nebraska,  in  1869.  For  at  least  thirty  years  he  has 
carried  the  mail  to  and  from  the  trains,  seldom  being  off  dutv.  He 
started  the  first  regular  dray  \Aagon  in  the  town,  and  is  now  probably  the 
oldest  drayman  in  the  state.  He  has  carried  the  express  for  the  Normal 
College  for  thirty  years.  A  few  years  ago  he  was  thrown  from  his  dray 
while  the  horse  was  running  away,  and  for  two  weeks  was  unconscious 
and  gixen  up  for  dead,  and  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  two  months,  luit 
his  old  veteran  spirit  brought  him  safely  through  and  he  is  once  more 
active  and  engaged  on  his  regular  tasks.  He  is  a  stanch  Reoublican  in 
politics,  and  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  on  the  town  board  and  also  as 
city  marshal.  In  the  latter  capacity  he  has  had  some  narrow  escapes 
from  crazy  men,  but  the  coolness  and  courage  which  he  had  displayed 
before  on  the  battlefield  here  stood  him  in  good  stead,  and  in  each  case 
he  performed  his  duty  unflinchingly. 

■Mr.  Carey  was  married  in  September,  1888,  to  J^Irs.  Susan  Debucjue, 
who  was  born  in  England  in  1841,  and  came  across  the  Atlantic  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  being  a  sister  of  John  and  Phillip  Palmer,  who  are 
written  of  elsewhere  in  this  work.  She  had  been  married  twice  before 
her  union  with  Mr.  Carey,  and  had  five  children  by  her  first  husbands. 
ISIr.  and  Mrs.  Carey  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have  an  adopted 


loo  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

son  who  is  the  idol  of  their  affections  and  the  cheer  of  the  home.  His 
name  is  Ezra  Peter  Carey,  and  he  was  born  April  i8,  1890,  a  son  of 
Albert  Debuque  and  a  grandson  of  Mrs.  Carey.  He  was  adopted  at 
the  age  of  eleven  months,  and  he  also  has  a  sister  and  a  brother.  He  is 
an  industrious  little  fellow,  and  he  and  his  foster  father  own  and  operate 
some  ninety  acres  on  the  Missouri  bottoms,  for  which  they  paid  two 
hundred  dollars  in  1901  and  which  is  now  worth  si.x  hundred.  This 
land  was  once  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  on  it  they  raise  corn  and  also 
have  about  thirty  acres  in  vegetables  and  truck.  I\Ir.  Carey  also  owns 
two  lots  and  two  buildings  in  town,  and  his  wife  has  one  building. 
Mrs.  Carey  was  reared  in  the  Methodist  faith,  and  is  a  most  estimable 
woman  and  popular  among  her  many  friends. 


GEORGE  BUCHANAN  ARMSTRONG. 

George  Buchanan  Armstrong,  one  of  the  foremost  farmers  and 
stock-raisers  of  Nemaha  county,  residing  in  Bedford  precinct,  Howe 
postoffice,  has  lived  here  nearly  all  his  life,  since  childhood,  and  has  made 
unqualified  success  of  his  ventures.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas 
and  public  spirit,  and  both  in  matters  of  individual  interest  and  those 
affecting  the  general  welfare  of  his  course  of  action  and  counsel  are 
reliable,  and  accomplish  results. 

Mr.  Armstrong's  father,  Josiah  Armstrong,  was  born  near  Wheel- 
ing, Virginia,  April  3,  1821,  and  died  in  Nemaha  county,  on  the  old 
home  farm  which  he  settled  in  in  1870.  He  was  married  on  Thanksgiving 
day,  1838,  in  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Catherine  Morehead,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  September  10,  18 16,  and  died  in  Nebraska,  September 
19,  1S92.     They  came  to  Nebraska  in  1864,  and  three  years  later  settled 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  loi 

on  the  prairie  and  began,  without  capital  and  in  the  pioneer  fashion,  to 
make  themselves  a  iiome.  They  were  successful  people,  and  lived  irre- 
proachable lives  of  industry.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Their  children,  all  born  in  Ohio,  are  as  follows:  William,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years  in  Pennsylvania ;  Robert,  a  stock  rancher  in 
Rooks  county,  Kansas,  has  nine  children  living,  eight  daughters ;  one 
died  in  infancy:  Mary  Ann,  the  widow  of  Henry  Halterman,  lives  at 
Verdon,  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  and  has  six  children :  Telitha, 
the  wife  of  Albert  Douglass,  at  Hiawatha,  Kansas,  has  seven  children 
living:  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  George  F.  Huntington,  died  in  California 
at  the  age  of  fifty,  leaving  four  children;  Lauina,  the  wife  of  Perry 
Montgomery,  of  Stella,  Nebraska,  has  six  children :  George  B.  is  the 
eighth  in  order  of  birth :  Josiah,  who  was  unmarried,  was  killed  by  his 
seven-horse  team  at  Oxnard,  California,  \\;here  he  was  hauling  beets  for 
the  largest  beet-sugar  factory  in  the  world. 

George  B.  Armstrong  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  June  25, 
1856,  and  was  brought  to  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  on  October  12, 
1864.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  enjoyed  a  fair  amount  of  school- 
ing, stopping  at  the  ninth  grade,  then  tlie  highest,  in  his  ninteenth  year. 
He  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
twenty-six  years  old,  and  then  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  He 
now  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  two  farms,  and  he  makes 
stock-raising  and  buying  his  leading  enterprises.  He  has  as  high  as 
two  and  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  at  a  time.  He  bought  his  present 
farm  in  1889,  paying  six  thousand  dollars  for  it,  and  he  has  built  all 
the  buildings  except  the  house.  He  planted  his  own  orchard,  and  he  has 
two  of  the  finest  barns  in  the  vicinity.  The  cattle  barn  is  fifty-two  by  fifty- 
six  feet,  with  twenty-foot  posts,  and  will  shelter  seventy  tons  of  fodder 
and  fifty  cattle.    His  hay  and  horse  barn  is  thirty-eight  by  sixty-four  feet. 


I02         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

with  twenty-foot  posts,  and  will  stall  fifty-seven  horses  and  hold  eighty 
tons  of  hay.  He  raises  about  one  hundred  hogs  each  year,  and  about 
twenty  horses. 

March  i8,  1883,  Mr.  Armstrong  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie 
Hughes,  who  was  born  near  Brownville,  April  7.  1861,  a  daughter  of 
R.  V.  Hughes  and  Elizabeth  (CuUen)  Hughes,  the  former  born  near 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  in  Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in 
Indiana,  and  came  west  in  1859.  ]\Ir.  Hughes  was  a  lawyer  b}-  profes- 
sion, and  was  honored  with  all  the  offices  of  the  county  during  his  resi- 
dence here.  He  had  been  a  school  teacher,  and  was  a  man  of  refinement 
and  education,  being  a  deep  reader  of  all  current  and  standard  literature. 
He  gathered  the  collection  of  fruit  which  took  the  premium  among  the 
exhibits  from  Nebraska  at  the  W^orld's  fair  in  Boston.  ^Irs.  Armstrong 
is  one  of  ten  children,  and  the  others  now  living  are :  Jennie,  the  wife  of 
Tom  Ross,  her  second  husband,  has  seven  children ;  Mrs.  Armstrong  is 
next  in  age;  Catherine  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Wheeler,  of  this  county,  and 
has  eight  children ;  Edward  went  to  California  at  the  age  of  nineteen  and 
has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  tliere,  and  is  the  father  of  four  children ; 
John  is  unmarried,  and  living  in  Howe;  Minnie  is  the  wife  of  Tom 
Lighthill,  in  Oklahoma;  Rose  is  the  wife  of  Lee  Nunn,  in  western  Ne- 
braska, and  has  seven  children.  ■\Irs.  Armstrong  was  educated  in  the 
Brownville  high  school,  and  taught  for  three  years. 

The  following  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Armstrong: 
Edna,  who  was  educated  in  the  normal  and  taught  for  a  time,  is  the  wife 
of  ^Mike  Beauchamp,  who  farms  the  old  homestead ;  Rosa  has  finished 
school  and  has  a  teacher's  certificate;  Boyd,  born  January  10,  1889.  is  at 
home  and  in  school;  Hope  Mabel  was  born  September  4.  1892;  and  Bob 
was  born  on  Christmas  day  of  1898.  Mr.  Armstrong  has  been  atiiliated 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  for  the  past  twenty  years, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  103 

and  has  passed  all  the  chairs;  he  is  also  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  charter  members  of  the  Rebekahs.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  been  school  director  for  nine  years.  ;I\Ir.  Armstrong's 
parents  held  their  golden  wedding  anniversary  on  November  29,  1888, 
and  at  their  death  they  had  the  unusnal  record  of  leaving  thirty-three 
grandchildren  and  seven  great-grandchildren. 


MRS.  SARAH  ELIZABETH  FULLER. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Elizabeth  Fuller,  an  honored  resident  of  the  city  of 
Nemaha,  Nebraska,  is  the  widow  of  Job  Fuller,  whose  death  occurred  at 
his  home  three  miles  from  Nemaha  in  1900,  when  nearly  sixty-nine  years 
of  age.  He  was  born  in  the  county  of  Kent,  England,  about  eight  miles 
west  of  London,  and  was  reared  as  a  farmer  lad,  remaining  at  home 
until  reaching  years  of  maturity.  He  then  sailed  from  Liverpool  to 
New  York  cit}',  spending  two  months  on  the  ocean,  and  during  the 
time  celebrated  his  birthday.  He  came  to  this  country  with  small  means, 
as  his  parents  were  in  limited  circumstances,  but  was  a  scholarly  man 
and  possessed  a  retentive  memory.  For  about  five  years  Mr.  Fuller 
made  his  home  in  Canada,  during  which  time  lie  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand,  and  was  there  married  in  abinit  1857.  He  then  removed  with 
his  wife  and  two  children  to  Illinois,  in  which  state  his  wife  died,,  leaving 
two  of  the  four  children  born  to  them.  During  his  residence  in  that  state 
he  also  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Ci\-il  war. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  that  struggle,  in  1866,  Mr.  Fuller  came  to 
Nebra.ska,  and  in  that  year  was  married  to  Mrs.  Beckwith,  the  widow  of 
Asal  Beckwith  and  also  of  Jesse  Ewing.  She  was  twice  married.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Huston  and  Lavina  (Livingston)   Russell,  the  former  of 


I04  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

wiiom  was  liorn  in  Kentucky  in  1807  and  tlie  latter  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1819.  Their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  1837,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  only  three  of  whom  grew  to  years,  of  maturity, 
namely :  Mrs.  Fuller,  who  was  born  in  Shelljy  county,  Indiana,  August 
24,  1836;  Tirrell,  an  agriculturist  in  Nemaha  county:  and  Nathaniel,  who 
died  in  Auburn,  Nebraska,  June  17,  1903,  leaving  a  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren and  a  small  estate.  He  also  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  remo\'ed  from  Indiana  to  Iowa,  and  about  five 
years  later,  on  the  loth  of  February,  1835,  came  to  Nemaha  county,  Ne- 
braska, crossing  the  river  on  the  ice,  and  at  this  time  the  Indians  wera 
plentiful  but  the  white  settlers  few.  The  city  of  Nemaha  then  contained 
i)ut  one  small  store,  poorly  stocked,  and  with  the  exception  of  its  proprie- 
tor, who  was  named  Brown,  the  only  other  resident  was  a  Mr.  Edwards. 
Their  worldly  possessions  at  the  time  of  their  arrival  consisted  of  two 
yoke  of  oxen,  two  cows  and  two  yearlings,  and  they  pre-empted  a  quar- 
ter section  of  land  three- fourtlis  of  a  mile  from  Nemaha.  Six  children 
blessed  the  union  of  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Fuller,  but  nnlv  three  are  now  living, 
namely :  Dora  Mertsheimer.  whose  husband  is  engaged  in  the  railroad 
business  in  Wyoming,  and  they  have  three  children:  JmIih,  a  resident  of 
Evanston,  Wyoming,  and  the  father  of  five  children :  and  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Theodore  Ginn,  by  whom  she  has  three  children,  and  the 
family  reside  in  Auburn,  Nebraska. 


JAMES  RAYNOR. 

James  Raynor,  a  retired  farmer  of  Auburn.  Nebraska,  dates  his 
birth  in  Nottinghamshire.  England,  May  i.  1834.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
Raynor.  who  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  December  18,  1796, 
and  who  emigrated  with  his  familv  to  America  in   1837.     Three  times 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  105 

married,  by  his  first  wife  he  liad  one  daugliter.  by  liis  second  wife  one  son 
and  one  daughter,  and  by  his  tliird  wife  eight  children.  His  third  wife 
was  Jane  Wethereil.  a  native  of  York.  England,  born  in  1808,  daughter 
of  Thomas  W'etherell,  an  innkeeper.  Tiieir  eight  cliildren  were  as  fol- 
lows: Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  W.  Mclntyre,  of  Lowell.  Massachusetts. 
has  one  son;  Thomas  Wetherell.  a  retired  railroad  man  of  Jackson,  Mich- 
igan, has  one  son  and  one  daughter :  George,  who  died  in  \\'aterville, 
Maine,  left  a  widow  and  one  daughter ;  James,  whose  name  introduces 
this  sketch :  Jane,  wife  of  B.  S.  Gillman.  of  San  Francisco,  California ; 
I'tobert  W'.,  a  locomotive  engineer  and  foreman  of  the  round-house  at 
Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  has  four  sons;  John  W.,  who  died  in  Kansas 
City.  Missouri.  April  26,  1896;  and  William  B..  of  Muskegon.  Michigan, 
has  been  twice  married  and  has  one  son  and  two  daughters.  The 
father  of  this  large  family  died  in  Orange,  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio, 
March  16,  1864,  and  the  mother  died  at  the  home  of  her  son  in  Mount 
\'ernon,  Illinois,  in  April,   1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

James  Raynor  was  three  years  old  when  he  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  this  countr}'.  and  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  in  \'ermont, 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Ohio  being  in  1854,  when  he  was  twenty. 
He  attended  the  pul^lic  schools  up  to  the  time  he  was  seventeen,  when  he 
began  learning  the  trade  of  carriage  painter.  After  serving  an  appren- 
ticeship of  three  years  to  this  trade,  he  continued  work  at  it  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 

August  15.  1861.  Mr.  Raynor  volunteered  his  services  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  country  into  which  lie  had  been  adopted.  At  this  time 
he  was  in  Albany.  Green  county.  Wisconsin.  As  a  member  of  Company 
E.  Thirteenth  Wisconsin,  he  served  one  year  to  the  day.  He  was  then 
transferred  to  the  Thirty-first  Regiment,  Company  F,  the  fortunes  of 
which  he  shared  until  July  6,  1865.  when  he  was  mustered  out  at  Madison, 


io6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Wisconsin.  He  was  during  tlie  first  year  of  liis  army  life  made  a  second 
lieutenant,  later  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  was  in  command  of 
the  company  twenty-two  months,  as  first  lieutenant.  He  was  brevetted 
captain.  Mr.  Raynor  was  in  four  hard-fought  battles — Parksville,  Peach 
Tree  Creek.  Nashville  and  Decatur. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Raynor  returned  to  Albany,  Wisconsin,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  wagons  and  carriages,  under  the  firm  name 
of  The  Tilleys  &  Raynor.  Selling  his  interest  in  the  establishment  in 
December,  1869,  Mr.  Raynor  came  further  west  the  following  year, 
landing  in  Washington  county,  Kansas,  in  June,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  still  owns  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  land  in  Barnes 
township,  \\'ashington  county,  Kansas. 

April  g,  1854,  ^Ir.  Raynor  married  ^liss  Harriet  Vrooman,  a. 
native  of  Ohio,  born  in  183 1,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Elizabeth 
(Becker)  Vrooman,  both  of  Otsego  county.  New  York.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Raynor  were  gi\'en  two  sons.  One  died  in  infancy  and  the  other, 
\\'illis  J.,  is  a  practicing  physician  of  Auburn.  Mrs.  Raynor  died  Octo- 
ber 31,  1902,  in  Barnes,  Washington  county,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years,  after  the  term  of  their  married  life  had  lengthened  out  to 
nearly  fifty  years.  A  true  wife,  loving  mother,  noble  woman — her  death 
was  a  sad  loss  to  Mr.  Raynor. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Raynor  is  identified  with  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  the  Independent  Oder  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  In  the  last  named  organization  he  was  post  commander 
three  terms,  two  terms  in  Beadle  Post,  Nebra.ska,  and  one  in  Barnes 
Post,  Washington  county,  Kansas.  He  has  been  a  life-long  Republican. 
He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  police  judge  many  years,  in  both  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska.  I\Ir.  Raynor  may  be  called  a  self-educated  man.  All 
his  life  he  has  been  a  close  observer  and  a  careful  and  constant  reader. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  107 

Naturally  of  a  genial  disposition  and  with  a  retentive  memory,  both 
physically  and  mentally  well  preserved,  and  with  a  rare  store  of  interest- 
ing reminiscences,  he  is  indeed  a  cheerful  companion  for  both  young 
and  old. 

Willis  James  Raynor,  son  of  James  and  Harriet  Raynor,  was  born 
in  Wisconsin,  January  14,  1856.  He  attended  the  district  and  high 
schools  in  his  native  state,  spent  two  years  in  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School,  and  then  took  a  course  in  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  at  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  graduated  in  1880.  He  has  also  taken  two  post-graduate 
courses  in  New  York.  After  finishing  his  studies  in  Cincinnati,  Dr.  Ray- 
nor located  in  Hardy,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  twelve  years.  In.  1896  he  removed  to  Denver,  Colorado, 
where  he  had  a  nice  home  and  where  he  spent  one  year  practicing  medi- 
cine. In  1898  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  service,  as  assistant  sur- 
geon, and  was  on  duty  at  Fort  Logan,  Colorado,  until  June,  1899,  in  full 
charge  of  the  hospital.  With  the  Twenty-fifth  United  States  Infantry 
he  was  ordered  to  the  Philippines,  where  they  landed  in  due  time  and 
where  he  was  in  the  field  during  the  Lawton  campaign.  Afterward 
he  was  transferred  to  the  general  hospital  of  the  regular  army,  and  re- 
mained on  duty  until  August,  1900.  At  this  time  he  secured  a  leave 
of  absence  and  came  home,  being  away  seven  months  and  returning, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  and  with  the  rank  of  captain.  He  w^as  mus- 
tered out  in  December.  1902,  and  at  once  embarked  for  home.  He 
landed  in  San  Francisco,  California,  the  day  his  mother  died  in  Kansas, 
but  it  was  not  until  a  week  afterward  that  he  reached  the  old  home 
place  and  his  bereaved  father. 

Dr.  Raynor  was  married  June  5,  18S3,  at  Hardy,  Nebraska,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Shore,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  She  was  born  May  9,  1858, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth    (Whitehead)    Shore,  both  now  de- 


io8  SOUJHEASTFRN    NEBRASKA. 

ceased,  her  mother  having  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years  and  her 
father  at  seventy-three.  Mrs.  Raymond  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children, 
four  of  whom  reached  maturity.  To  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  have  been 
given  five  children :  Ivy,  May,  Iris,  Ruth  and  Willis  James,  Jr.  The  son 
and  youngest  child  was  born  in  the  Philippines,  April  13,  1902.  Like  his 
father  before  him.  Dr.  Raynor  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order. 


JAMES  CO\\'EL. 

James  Cowel,  who  died  at  his  late  home  in  Bedford  precinct,  Howe 
postoffice,  Kemaha  county,  July  4,  1903,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  was 
one  of  the  honored  old  settlers  of  Southeastern  Nebraska,  having  come 
here  before  the  admission  of  the  state  to  the  Union.  Although  lie 
finished  his  life's  work  early,  his  career  was  filled  with  useful  efforts  and 
was  successful  from  every  point  of  view.  His  citizenship  and  manhood 
were  above  reproach,  and  to  his  family  he  was  generous  in  fatherly  devo- 
tion, kind  in  action,  and  himself  a  high  ideal  for  their  subsequent  life. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  taken  from  their  children  when  their  parental 
aft'ection  and  counsel  and  aid  were  indispensable,  but  the  son  and 
daughters  have  bravely  taken  up  the  duties  of  home  and  life  and  are 
carving  for  tliemseh'es  honorable  places  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Cowel  was  a  son  of  Reuben  Cowel,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Ohio, 
from  which  state  he  came  to  Cass  county,  Indiana,  and  in  1868  followed 
his  son  to  Nebraska,  where  he  farmed  during  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  and  was  a  man  of  character  and  ability 
in  every  sphere  of  life.  He  was  twice  married,  having  ten  children  by 
his  first  wife,  who  died  in  Delaware  countv,  Ohio.     Of  the  eight  sons 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  109 

and  two  daughters,  two  sons  died  in  infancy,  and  the  tour  now  hving 
are:  Lida,  wife  of  Adam  \\iIson.  at  Red  Oak,  Iowa;  Jay  and  Andy, 
farmers  of  Oklahoma,  and  the  latter  a  stock-dealer;  and  Uriah,  in 
Lawrence,  Michigan. 

James  Cowel  was  born  in  Delaware  county.  Ohio,  December  13, 
1852.  He  came  to  Nebraska  in  1865,  and  began  as  a  tenant  farmer  in 
Nemaha  county.  He  came  to  the  present  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  1886,  and  in  1888  bought  it  for  thirty-five  dollars  an  acre, 
but  it  is  now  worth  considerably  more.  He  was  a  good  farmer,  and 
longer  life  would  undoubtedly  have  made  him  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
men  of  the  county. 

August  21,  1880,  Mr.  Cowel  was  married  in  Sheridan  (now  Au- 
burn) to  Miss  Margaret  Hughes,  a  daughter  of  A.  D.  T.  Hughes,  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  whose  brother  William  home- 
steaded  the  Cowel  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowel  had  four  children : 
Oliver  C,  who  since  his  father's  death  has  assumed  the  conduct  of  the 
home  farm  and  is  doing  well;  Clara  E.,  who  is  a  teacher  and  living  at 
home;  Dollie  C,  who  is  just  out  of  school;  and  Neva  N.,  aged  eleven 
years  and  in  school.  They  were  all  educated  in  Auburn,  and  Oliver 
graduated  in  1901,  and  the  two  sisters  were  in  the  classes  of  1903  and 
1905  when  their  parents  died.  Mrs.  Cowel  died  February  13,  1903, 
of  dropsy,  while  her  husband  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism  and  Bright's 
disease.  Mr.  Cowel  was  a  Master  Mason,  and  in  politics  a  Democrat, 
but  later  a  Populist.  His  wife  was  a  Methodist,  and  he  was  reared  in  the 
Lutheran  church,  but  throughout  life  placed  deeds  above  creeds.  By  his 
w^ll  he  left  his  estate  to  his  children,  and  notwithstanding  their  sore 
bereavement  they  are  reflecting  credit  on  their  noble  and  worthy  parents 
by  the  manner  in  which  they  have  taken  up  the  burdens  of  life. 


no  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

LIEUTENANT  JOSEPH   K.   PITTMAN. 

Lieutenant  Joseph  K.  Pittman,  of  Nemaha  township.  Gage  county, 
Nebraska,  is  a  resident  here  of  fifteen  years'  standing.  His  Hfe  of  over 
sixty  years  has  been  passed  in  various  localities,  all  of  which  have  been 
honored  by  his  substantial  citizenship  and  worthy  performance  of  every 
duty  devolving  upon  him.  When  in  the  flush  of  young  manhood  he 
gave  his  services  to  the  nation  to  preserve  union  and  personal  liberty, 
and  the  meritorious  and  gallant  part  which  he  took  on  the  field  of  battle 
is  attested  by  the  title  which  he  won.  Since  that  time  he  has  gained  suc- 
cess equally  great  in  civil  life,  has  devoted  himself  without  reserve  to 
individual  work  and  the  discharge  of  those  responsibilities  which  come 
up  between  man  and  man,  and  for  all  this  deserves  the  honor  and  esteem 
which  are  shown  him  and  his  excellent  family. 

Lieutenant  Pittman  was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1840,  and  comes  of  a  family  well  known  in  that  state,  some  of  wihose 
members  took  part  in  the  early  wars  of  the  colonies  and  republic.  His 
great-grandfather  Benjamin,  his  grandfather  Joseph  and  his  father,  Ezra, 
were  all  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Ezra  Pittman  was  a  native  of  Bedford 
county,  followed  farming  there  all  his  life,  was  a  Democrat  of  the  Jack- 
sonian  type,  and  a  church  member  and  honored  citizen.  His  wife  was 
Elizabeth  Knable.  a  native  of  Bedford  county  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Knable,  of  an  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  family.     She  is  also  deceased. 

Joseph  K.  Pittman  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  during  limited  seasons  attended  school,  but  the  greater  part  of  the 
practical  training  which  has  helped  him  through  life  was  acquired  by' 
experience  which  began  when  he  was  a  boy.  He  was  twenty-one  years 
old  when  the  Civil  war  came  on,  and  on  November  19,  1861,  he  enlisted, 
at  Werefordsburg,    Pennsylvania,   in  Company   B.   and   taken   into  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  in 

Third  Maryland  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Captain  Cardiff  and  Colonel 
Downey,  and  gave  three  years  and  three  months  of  faithful  service.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  in  many  of  the  engage- 
ments in  Virginia,  and  assisted  in  repelling  General  Mosby's  raiders  from 
the  northern  states.  He  was  in  West  Virginia  for  some  time,  and  his 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Gettysburg,  but  arriving  there  too  late  to  take 
part  in  the  crucial  conflict  of  the  war.  ]\Ir.  Pittman  entered  the  service 
as  a  private,  was  made  corporal,  orderly  sergeant,  and  then  promoted 
to  first  lieutenant,  with  which  rank  he  was  honorably  discharged,  with 
the  commendation  of  his  superiors  and  the  personal  regard  of  the  men 
of  his  company.  In  1865,  after  he  had  returned  from  the  war,  he  came 
west  to  Kno.x.  county,  Illinois,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  near  Gales- 
burg  for  thirteen  years.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Lincoln  county,  Kansas, 
and  in  that  new  country  took  up  a  homestead,  on  which  he  lived  until 
1888,  when  he  came  to  Gage  county,  and  since  then  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

In  186S  Mr.  Pittman  .was  married  in  Knox  county,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
?«Iary  F.  Bower,  and  they  have  enjoyed  a  most  happy  union  of  over 
thirty-five  years,  gladdened  with  life's  pleasures  and  made  sweeter  and 
closer  by  its  sorrows.  She  is  a  natixe  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Susan  (Bryan)  Bowier,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  the  latter  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Twelve  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pittman.  One  son  died  in  childhood,  and  the  others  are:  Jasper 
D.,  Joseph,  Ulysses  G.,  Ezra,  William,  Edwin,  Roy,  Robert,  Susan, 
Jessie,  and  Mary.  Mr.  Pittman  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  enjoys 
old  army  comradeship  with  the  Sergeant  Cox  Post  Xo.  100,  G.  A.  R., 
at  Adams.  He  is  also  a  Mason,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.     He  is  a  w'ell  informed  man,  genial  and  frank  with  his 


112  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

associates,  and  his  home  is  a  place  of  hospitahty  and  good  cheer  for  all 
who  enter  its  doors. 


CASNER  BARNES. 


Casner  Barnes,  a  prominent  farmer  near  South  Auburn,  on  mail 
route  No.  2,  has  been  a  resident  of  Nemaha  county  for  forty-five  years, 
from  the  pioneer  epoch  down  to  the  twentieth  century  present.  He  has 
been  a  successful  farmer  from  youth,  and  has  made  a  reputation  in  this 
line,  as  also  as  a  citizen  and  man.  Few  men  could  have  put  their  diligent 
efforts  to  better  use  than  Mr.  Barnes  has  in  making  one  of  the  fine  farms 
for  wliich  this  county  is  noted,  and  to  whatever  he  has  turned  his  hand 
lie  has  done  well. 

Mr.  Barnes  is  a  grandson  of  John  Barnes,  a  Pennsylvania  farmer, 
who  in  1840  came  west  to  Lee  county,  Iowa,  w'here  he  died  in  i860,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five.  He  had  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, and  the  only  survivor  is  Alexander,  living  in  Smith  county,  Kansas. 
John  Barnes,  the  father  of  Casner  Barnes,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1821,  and  died  at  Nemaha  city,  Nebraska,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1896.  He  and  his  wdfe  inherited  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Iowa, 
and  in  1857  they  came  to  Richardson  county.  Nebraska,  and  two  weeks 
later  to  Nemaha  city,  settling  one  mile  north  on  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  only  ten  acres  of  which  had  been  broken,  and  they  paid 
the  claimant  seventeen  hundred  dollars  for  his  "squatter  sovereignty" 
and  then  pre-empted.  He  bought  and  sold  several  farms  and  was  in 
good  circumstances.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  was  county 
commissioner  and  register  of  voters.  He  and  his  wife  were  Presbyterians, 
and  he  was  an  elder  in  the  church  at  Brownville.  He  was  married  in 
1846,  at  West  Point,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Harger,  who  was  born  in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  1I3 

Indiana,  Diecember  20,  1829,  and  died  at  Nemaha  cit}',  June  20,  1883. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Casner;  Catherine  E., 
wife  of  James  H.  Drain,  at  Red  Cloud.  Nebraska,  has  nine  children ; 
Amanda  is  the  wife  of  Charles  M.  Welton,  of  Johnson,  Nebraska;  Isham 
B.  is  a  farmer  of  Coolidge,  Kansas,  and  has  seven  children ;  John  S.  is 
a  farmer  of  Smith  county,  Kansas,  and  has  seven  children  living;  Luther 
H.  is  a  farmer,  real  estate  man  and  contractor  in  Bison,  Oklahoma,  and 
has  six  children  living;  David,  who  was  county  superintendent  of  schools 
at  Lamar,  Colorado,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  leaving  a  wife  and 
three  children;  Lydia  H.  is  the  wife  of  H.  O.  Hermle,  in  California,  and 
has  two  children;  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  B.  L.  Shellhorn,  M.  D.,  of 
Peru,  Nebraska,  and  has  two  children  living. 

Casner  Barnes  wtis  born  at  West  Point.  Lee  county,  Iowa,  Novem- 
ber 14,  1847,  and  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  lived  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage in  1877.  He  bought  his  first  land,  ninety-two  acres,  in  1873. 
He  now  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  choice  land,  upon  which 
he  has  placed  all  the  improvements,  including  three  acres  of  orchard 
and  shade  trees.  He  does  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  in 
1903  had  in  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  corn  and  sixty  of  wheat. 
His  cattle  are  of  mixed  breeds.  He  has  been  especially  successful  in  the 
feeding  of  hogs,  and  ships  about  two  carloads  each  year  and  always  keeps 
on  hand  about  a  hundred. 

April  I,  1877.  My.  Barnes  was  married  to  Miss  Ophelia  Mclninch, 
who  was  born  February  4,  1860,  on  a  part  of  Nemaha  county  that  has 
since  been  washed  into  the  turbulent  floods  of  the  Missouri  river.  Her 
parents,  W.  H.  and  Catherine  (Dunkle)  ?ilclninch,  the  former  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  \'irginia,  came  to  Nebraska  in  1857,  and  are 
still  living  on  the  old  farm  near  Auburn.  They  had  eight  children : 
Mrs.  Barnes  is  the  eldest ;  James  H.  Mclninch  is  a  farmer  near  Brown- 


114  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ville;  Miss  Wille  Kate  is  at  home;  David  C.  is  a  farmer  near  Auburn; 
Belle  is  the  wife  of  D.  E.  Zook,  a  farmer  near  Auburn;  M.  S.  Mclninch 
is  an  attorney  in  Auburn;  Barnett  is  at  Brownville;  and  Julia,  aged 
eighteen,  is  in  school  at  Auburn. 

Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes.  Katie  E. 
is  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Linn,  a  dentist  of  Auburn,  Nebraska;  Miss  Mattie 
M.  is  a  teacher  in  Auburn,  having  taken  the  training  course  in  the  normal 
at  Peru;  Miss  Lydia  B.  is  a  student  in  Auburn;  Welton  C.  is  also  in  the 
Auburn  schools;  Edna  T.  attends  the  district  school  at  home;  Mary; 
Delbert  M.  is  eight  years  old;  Guy  died  at  the  age  of  five;  and  Isham 
Bartlett  is  a  boy  of  three.  Mr.  Barnes  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
was  once  a  candidate  for  county  commissioner,  and  has  been  on  the 
school  board  for  twenty-five  years.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church. 


LOUIS  H.  ROHMEYER. 

Louis  H.  Rohmeyer,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  U'cstliclicr  Bco- 
hachtcr,  the  official  organ  of  the  German  Farmers'  Insurance  Company  in 
Nebraska  and  the  leading  German  paper  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
state,  is  a  thoroughly  Americanized  Germaiv.  Bringing  with  him  to 
this  country  the  characteristic  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  German  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  opportunities  for  advancement  which  lie  found 
here,  he  has  pushed  his  way  to  the  front  and  is  justly  deserving  of  the 
representative  position  which  he  holds  among  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
locality  in  which  he  lives. 

Mr.  Rohmeyer  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 5,   i860.     His  ancestors  were  tradesmen,  noted  for  honesty  and 


LOUIS   H.    ROHMEYER 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  115 

industry,  and  longexity  as  well.  Frederick  Nolte,  his  maternal  grand- 
father, lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years  and  retained  his 
faculties,  mental  and  physical,  to  the  close  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  Hanover,  in  1865.  Mr.  Rohmeyer's  father,  William  Rohmeyer,  a 
shoe  merchant  of  Hanover,  is  now  past  eighty  years  of  age  and  is  still 
active  in  business.  The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  marriage  to  Johanna 
Nolte  was  celebrated  September  6,  1902.  Their  pictures  in  the  souvenir 
designed  and  published  by  their  son,  Louis  H.,  in  memory  of  this  anni- 
versary, show  them  to  be  still  well  preserved.  Of  their  four  children 
Louis  H.  is  the  only  son  now  living.  His  two  brothers,  William 
and  August,  died  in  Hanover — the  former  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  and 
the  latter  on  his  fourtieth  birthday,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children. 
His  sister,  Louise  Frerichs,  now  resides  in  Bremerhaven,  Germany., 

Louis  H.  Rohmeyer  received  a  common  and  high-school  education 
in  his  native  city.  In  1874,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  began  work 
at  the  printer's  trade,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years. 
Afterwards  he  worked  in  Switzerland  and  Germany  as  a  journeyman 
printer,  for  several  years,  until  1890,  when  he  came  to  America.  His 
first  location  in  this  country  was  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  for  some 
time  employed  as  compositor  on  a  German  newspaper,  and  from  whence, 
in  1898,  he  moved  to  Lincoln.  Nebraska.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  been 
able  to  save  but  very  little  if  any  of  his  earnings,  and  when  he  landed  in 
Lincoln  he  had  only  thirty-five  dollars.  The  following  year  he  opened  a 
job  printing  office,  which  he  successfully  conducted  in  Lincoln  for  nearly 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  December  i,  1900,  he  came  to 
Auburn  and  purchased  the  JVcsfcni  Observer,  which  had  been  established 
ten  months  previous  to  that  date.  ]\Ir.  Rohmeyer  has  increased  the  cir- 
culation of  his  paper  to  two  thousand  three  hundred,  six  times  its  original 
subscription  list,  and  not  only  has  the  circulation  of  the  paper  been 


ii6  SGJJTIIEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

increased  but  the  standard  of  the  pubhcation  also  has  been  raised.  He 
owns  the  plant,  and  in  connection  with  running  the  paper  he  does  a  large 
job  printing  business  in  both  German  and  English. 

Mr.  Rohmeyer  married,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  in  1884,  Miss 
Johanna  Tieman,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living 
except  Alfred,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  October  29,  1891, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Amelia  and  William  were  born  in 
Hanover,  the  former  September  5,  1885,  and  the  latter  September  2, 
1887.  Louis  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  January  6,  1894,  and  Elizabeth  in 
Lincoln,  January  i,  1892. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Rohmeyer  is  identified  with  a  number  of  fraternal 
organizations,  including  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
Knights  of  Maccabees,  Sons  of  Herman,  and  the  German  Society  of 
Lincoln.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


CHESTER  REUBEN  CAAIP. 

Chester  Reuben  Camp,  a  retired  farmer  in  Auburn  in  his  seventy- 
sixth  year,  has  been  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  citizens  of 
Nemaha  county  for  forty  years,  so  that  he  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  and 
has  witnessed  in  his  time  a  wonderful  transformation  of  this  country 
from  unproductive  prairies  to  a  paradise  of  farms  and  towns.  He  has 
made  his  handsome  property  by  diligence  early  and  late  and  shrewd  man- 
agement, so  that  he  has  well  earned  the  prosperity  and  comfort  which 
have  come  to  his  later  years.  He  is  public-spirited  as  well,  and  has 
always  been  \\''illing  to  help  along  any  worthy  enterprise  for  the  general 
welfare. 

Mr.  Camp  was  born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York,  March  4,  1828. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRAStOA.  117 

His  father,  John  Camp,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  about  1787,  and  died 
in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  in  1856.  He  was  a  shoemaker  and  a 
farmer.  He  was  married  in  \ew  York  to  Amy  Scott,  who  died  in  Mich- 
igan in  1863.  They  had  come  to  that  state  in  1837.  They  were  parents 
of  live  children,  and  reared  three  of  them.  Sylvester  died  past  middle 
life  in  Hillsdale  county,  Michigan,  leaving  one  son  and  one  daughter: 
Patience,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Bentield,  died  in  Lenawee  county.  Michigan, 
in  1846. 

Chester  Reuben  Camp,  the  only  survivor  of  the  children,  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  in  Michigan.  He  recei\'ed  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict school,  and  after  completing  its  studies  was  asked  to  become  its 
teacher,  but  declined.  He  worked  out  by  the  month  until  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  for  two  years  he  farmed  the  old  homestead.  In  1863  he  came 
to  Nemaha  county  and  bought  a  quarter  section  in  Glen  Rock  precinct, 
paying  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  hundred  dollars  for  it.  He  afterward 
traded  this,  with  four  hundred  dollars  to  boot,  for  the  farm  on  which 
he  made  his  home  for  so  many  years.  He  has  been  an  indefatigable 
worker,  and  has  made  his  farming  operations  pay  unusually  well.  He 
continued  his  active  work  on  the  farm  until  1899,  and  in  that  year  sold 
his  land  for  fifty  dollars  an  acre,  but  it  is  now  worth  seventy-five.  He 
then  located  in  his  nice  home  on  one  and  a  half  lots  in  Auburn,  and  is 
hare  surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  desired  by  one  whose  life  has  been 
passed  in  such  strenuous  effort. 

December  17,  1852,  ]\Ir.  Camp  was  married  to  Miss  Sally  ]\I.  Phil- 
lips, who  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  June  9,  1832. 
Her  parents,  Allen  and  Lydia  (Baker)  Phillips,  were  born,  respectively, 
in  Vermont  and  New'  York,  and  were  married  in  the  latter  state.  They 
reared  seven  children,  five  daughters  and  two  sons,  all  of  whom  had  fami- 
lies, and  all  are  now  deceased  except  }ilrs.  Camp,  who  was  the  sixth 


ii8         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

child.  They  were  farmers  in  New  York,  and  came  from  that  state  to 
Michigan  in  1838.  In  the  spring  of  1857  they  drove  their  team  overland 
to  Nebraska,  and  laid  a  land  warrant  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Glen  Rock  precinct,  where  they  began  humbly  and  experienced  the  trials 
and  privations  of  a  new  country.  They  returned  to  Michigan  in  i860, 
and  spent  the  winter  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camp,  but  on  March  25,  1861, 
they  once  more  landed  in  Nebraska,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camp  have  had  twb  children.  Alvaretta  is  the  wife 
of  John  M.  Elliott,  in  South  Auburn,  and  they  have  twelve  of  their  four- 
teen children;  Calvin,  who  died  in  1876  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
and  seven  months,  of  scarlet  fever,  was  a  promising  youth,  bright  and 
energetic,  and  his  death  was  a  great  sorrow  to  his  parents.  Mr.  Camp 
has  always  voted  with  the  Democrats,  and  officially  has  served  as  school 
director  and  supervisor  of  roads.  He  and  his  wife  are  esteemed  members 
of  the  Highland  Baptist  church. 


HON.  JOHN  H.  POHLMAN. 

Hon.  John  H.  Pohlman,  wlio  is  one  of  the  model  agriculturists  of 
Washington  precinct,  Nemaha  county,  and  whose  farming  and  stock- 
raising  operations  in  this  county  have  brought  him  a  most  gratifying 
degree  of  material  prosperity,  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
state.  He  crossed  the  Missouri  river  on  the  loth  day  of  May,  1867, 
having  driven  across  the  state  of  Iowa  in  real  emigrant  style,  with  four 
of  the  best  horses  which  had  been  seen  in  this  part  of  the  country  for 
some  time,  and  which  excited  universal  admiration  when  he  passed 
through  the  small  town  of  Brownville  to  the  place  which  he  took  up  from 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  119 

the  government.  He  has  made  his  liome  here  for  the  past  thirty-eight 
or  more  years,  experiencing  several  of  the  ups  and  downs  which  fortune 
pays  all  men,  but  on  the  whole  being  unusually  successful.  He  has 
shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  strictest  integrity,  uprightness  in  business 
dealings,  thoroughly  capable  and  careful  in  the  management  of  his  afifairs, 
and  exhibiting  a  degree  of  industry  which  would  bring  success  in  any 
vocation.  His  principal  occupation  since  taking  up  his  residence  in  this 
state  has  been  the  subduing  of  the  soil  and  its  cultivation  and  the  raising 
of  all  the  products  for  which  this  section  of  the  state  is  so  justly  famed, 
but  he  has  likewise  been  keenly  interested  in  the  public  welfare  and  the 
upbuilding  and  development  of  the  community  of  his  residence,  having 
been  more  than  once  called  to  responsible  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

Mr.  Pohlman  was  born  in  Neumuenster,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Ger- 
many, August  25,  1839,  His  father,  Hartwig  Pohlman,  was  a  railroad 
man  in  Germany  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  leaving  his 
widow  and  two  sons  with  a  small  estate.  He  was  born  in  1799  and  died 
in  1847.  He  had  married  Miss  Anna  Inselman,  and  they  had  two  sons, 
John  H.  being  the  elder,  and  Fred  was  a  printer  and  died  in  Chicago  at 
the  age  of  forty  years,  leaving  his  wife  and  three  children.  Mr.  Pohl- 
man's  mother  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1857,  and  landed  in  New  York  on 
July  4th,  having  been  seven  weeks  and  three  days  on  the  ocean.  She 
came  out  to  Illinois,  and  was  later  married  in  Peoria  to  Charles  Polster, 
who  came  from  the  same  part  of  Germany  as  she  had.  She  died  in 
Peoria,  September  30,  1898,  aged  eighty-three  years,  and  strong  in  body 
and  spirit  to  the  last,  having  been  sick  only  one  week  before  she  passed 
away. 

Mr.  Pohlman  had  a  good  education  in  his  native  land  up  to  his 
seventeenth  vear,  and  also  attended  school  awhile  after  he  arrived  in 


I20  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Knox  county,  Illinois.  He  worked  in  Illinois  at  wages  from  six  to 
fifteen  dollars  a  month,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  the  war.  August 
i8,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Forty-seventli  Illinois  Infantry,  ancj 
served  thirteen  months,  but  was  discharged  at  St.  Louis  on  account  of 
physical  disability,  on  Septeml:)er  27,  1863.  He  was  confined  in  the 
hospital  for  two  months  before  his  discharge.  His  pension  of  eight  dol- 
lars a  month  has  recently  been  raised  to  twelve.  After  his  marriage  in 
1863  he  lived  in  Illinois  until  he  started  across  the  country,  in  a  large 
covered  wagon,  and  was  thirteen  days  on  the  road  to  Nebraska,  bringing 
his  wife  and  two  children  to  the  new  country  across  the  ^Tissouri.  He 
took  up  government  land,  and  his  first  residence  cost  him  ten  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars,  but  in  1871  this  with  its  contents  was  burned  to  the 
ground.  He  could  ill  afford  such  a  loss  at  that  time,  and  in  order  to 
rebuild  he  was  compelled  to  sacrifice  a  team  of  fine  horses  which  he  loved 
so  well,  selling  them  for  four  hundred  dollars  and  erecting  a  cheaper  res- 
idence until  he  could  build  a  l)etter.  With  the  increase  of  his  family  and 
his  material  prosperity  he  tore  down  his  house  number  two,  and  has 
now  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  comfortable  country  residences  in 
this  part  of  the  county.  It  has  two  stories,  with  ten  rooms,  a  cement- 
floored  basement  under  all,  and  is  everywhere  known  as  one  of  the  model 
homes  of  the  vicinity.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  lawn,  with  cement 
walks  leading  in  all  directions,  and  the  embowering  groves  of  shade 
and  fruit  trees  give  the  entire  place  a  setting  and  charm  which  would 
entice  any  beauty-lo\-er  to  an  hour's  repose  within  its  boundaries.  Mr. 
Pohlman  has  always  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  his  fine  orchard  of  five  acres,  which  he  tends  carefully  and  does  not 
allow  to  die  out,  has  also  been  a  joifrce  of  revenue,  in  addition  to  supply- 
ing the  home  with  all  needed  fruit.  He  has  shipped  as  high  as  three 
carloads  of  apples  in  one  season.     In  the  matter  of  stock  Mr.  Pohlman 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  121 

lias  always  been  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  fine  horses,  and  he  usually  raises 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  head,  and  each  year  feeds  from  forty-five  to 
one  hundred  head  of  Poll  Angus  cattle  and  about  five  hundred  hogs  of  the 
Poland  China  strain.  He  raises  some  of  the  best  mules  in  the  country. 
His  farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  all  its  improve- 
ments and  equipments  and  methods  of  cultivation  show  the  up-to-date 
and  progressive  agriculturist  who  owns  it. 

Diecember  23,  1863,  Mr.  Pohlman  was  married  in  Knoxyille.  Illi- 
nois, to  Miss  Elizabeth  Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Illinois, 
November  4,  1845.  Her  parents  were  Thomas  and  Diana  (Metcalf) 
Crawford,  who  were  born  May  15,  1807,  and  February  20,  1809,  respec- 
tively, and  were  married  December  18,  1830,  being  the  parents  of 
fourteen  children,  as  follows :  Three  died  in  infancy  or  childhood ;  James 
Crawford  died  in  California  aged  about  sixty-five  years;  Thomas  died 
in  California  when  about  fifty,  leaving  a  wife :  Deborah,  the  wife  of  James 
Buck,  died  in  Illinois,  leaving  three  children;  Mrs.  Mary  Daniels  lives 
in  California,  having  one  son;  Robert  died  during  the  Civil  war,  leaving 
two  children;  Joanna  is  in  California  and  has  three  children;  Martha, 
the  wife  of  John  Thompson,  died  in  Nemaha  county,  leaving  two 
children;  Mrs.  Pohlman  is  the  next  of  the  family;  Vachel  is  a  farmer  in 
Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and  has  five  children;  William,  a  dealer  in  musical 
instruments  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  has  three  daughters  and  one  son ; 
A\'alter  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  Thomas  Crawford,  the  father  of 
this  family,  died  in  California  about  1894,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  and 
his  wife  had  passed  away  in  1859. 

Fifteen  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pohlman,  as  fol- 
lows:  Frank  C,  born  in  Knox  county,  Illinois,  in  1864,  is  a  successful 
stock  rancher  in  Thomas  county,  Kansas,  and  has  two  sons  and  three 
daughters;  Minnie  L.,  born  in  Illinois  in  February,    1866,  is  the  wife 


122  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

of  George  Leiser  in  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  and  has  four  daughters; 
John  H.,  born  in  Nebraska,  December  7,  1868,  died  wlien  two  years  old; 
Ohve  B.,  born  October  19,  1870,  is  the  wife  of  B.  L.  Brinkley,  of  John- 
son, and  has  two  daughters  and  one  son;  Etta,  born  August  28,  1872,  is 
tlie  wife  of  Byron  Phelan,  a  farmer  in  Nemaha  county,  and  has  five  sons ; 
Anna,  born  March  8,  1874,  is  the  wife  of  John  Weber,  a  farmer  of 
Nemaha  county,  and  has  one  daughter;  Homer  J.,  born  February  25, 
1876,  a  farmer  near  his  father's  place  and  for  the  past  two  years  a  mail 
carrier,  has  two  sons;  Thomas  C.,  born  December  30,  1878,  is  unmarried 
and  at  home;  Fred,  born  January  28,  1880,  died  when  two  years  old; 
Ella  and  Delia,  twins,  born  August  25.  1882,  died  within  twenty-four 
hours  of  each  other  when  two  years  old ;  John  H.  and  Jennie,  born  June 
10,  1884,  are  both  at  home;  Charles  P.,  born  October  17,  1886,  is  a 
student  in  Grand  Island  College;  and  Rose,  born  January  4,  1887,  is 
at  home  and  attending  school  in  Johnson.  The  daughters  all  have  musical 
taste  and  sing  and  play.  Withal  it  is  a  family  to  be  proud  of,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pohlman  thoroughly  enjoy  and  appreciate  their  model  home. 
Mr.  Pohlman  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  two  terms  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  legislature,  and  made  a  name  while  there  for  conscientious 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  costituents  and  the  state.  He  has  also 
served  nine  years  in  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  He  has  always 
been  a  stanch  Republican,  and  is  logical  and  intelligent  in  his  beliefs.  He 
was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  church,  while  his  wife  is  a 
Methodist.  He  is  one  of  the  German  Americans  who  on  coming  to  this 
country  readily  adapted  themselves  to  the  ways  and  customs  of  this  land 
and  acquired  the  language  with  the  readiness  of  a  child  learning  its 
own  vernacular,  so  that  he  has  since  helped  many  other  Germans  who 
have  worked  for  him  to  learn  the  language. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  123 

DANIEL  GOODMAN. 

Daniel  Goodman,  one  of  tlie  prominent  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
of  Gage  county,  near  Adams,  Nebraska,  is  an  old-time  citizen  of  the 
state,  having  first  settled  here  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  he  has  lived  in 
Gage  county  for  fifteen  years.  His  life  is  a  record  of  loyal  citizenship, 
for  he  is  listed  among  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  where  he  displayed 
brave  and  creditable  service  as  a  soldier,  and  in  all  his  subsequent 
activity  has  been  as  true  to  duty  and  the  obligations  imposed  by  family 
and  society  as  when  a  youth  wearing  the  blue  uniform  of  a  Union  soldier. 

Mr.  Goodman  was  born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1845,  of  ^"  old  and  highly  respected  family  of  that  county  and  state. 
His  parents,  Daniel  and  Katie  (Wagner)  Goodman,  were  also  natives  of 
that  county,  and  his  great-grandfather  Wagner  was  a  patriot  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Daniel  Goodman,  Sr.,  was  an  honest  farmer,  a 
good  citizen,  a  member  of  tlie  Reformed  church,  a  Republican  in  politics, 
a  man  respected  wherever  he  went.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  Penn- 
sylvania. They  had  fourteen  children,  ten  sons  and  four  daughters, 
and  three  sons,  Eli,  Nathan  and  Daniel,  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war. 

Daniel  Goodman,  Jr.,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  taught  to  work  and 
given  an  honest  purpose  in  life.  Pie  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he 
decided  to  become  a  soldier.  In  February,  1863,  he  enlisted  from  his 
native  county  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania 
Infantry.  He  was  in  the  terrible  Wilderness  campaign,  at  the  battles 
of  Cold  Harbor,  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Winchester  and  other  en- 
gagements of  lesser  importance.  He  was  around  Petersburg  during  the 
last  days  of  the  war,  and  took  part  in  the  grand  review  of  the  troops  at 
the  close,  after  which  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  as  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  greatest  war  in  the  annals  of  history,  and  went  home  with 


124  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

a  record  of  service  which  will  always  remain  a  matter  of  pride  to  him- 
self and  his  descendants. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Goodman  went  west  to 
Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Freeport.  where 
he  lived  until  1874,  in  which  year  he  first  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
state  of  Nebraska,  locating  in  Otoe  county,  near  Dunbar.  Here  the  noted 
grasshopper  scourge  descended  upon  him,  destroying  his  crops  and  all 
his  prospects  for  the  time,  and  gave  him  such  a  bad  opinion  of  Nebraska 
in  general  that  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  did  not  make  the  venture  of 
settling  across  the  Missouri  for  several  years.  But  on  coming  to  Ne- 
braska for  the  second  time  he  fared  better  and  came  to  realize  the  abun- 
dant resources  of  the  state.  He  has  been  in  Gage  county  for  fourteen 
years,  and  is  now  a  prosperous  and  contented  agriculturist.  He  owns 
eightv-five  acres  of  land,  with  a  pretty  and  comfortable  residence,  ample 
barns,  a  fine  lot  of  horses  and  cattle,  and  everything  needed  by  the  model 
Nebraska  farmer. 

In  Stephenson  county,  near  Freeport,  Illinois,  in  1881,  'Mr.  Goodman 
was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Reed,  who  has  been  a  faithful  wife  and  helper 
to  him  for  over  twenty  years.  She  was  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, one  of  the  eight  children  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Hay)  Reed, 
who  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  former  of  whom  died  in  Otoe 
county,  and  the  latter  in  Gage  county,  Nebraska.  Mr.  and  !\Ir5.  Good- 
man have  one  daughter,  Essie,  now  the  wife  of  Oscar  Vanderpool,  of 
Lancaster  county,  Nebraska,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Goldie  \'^an- 
derpool.  Mr.  Goodman  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  and  affiliates 
with  the  Sergeant  Cox  Post  No.  100,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Adams.  He  is  a  man 
of  excellent  business  ability  and  attractive  social  qualities,  and  is  respected 
and  liked  by  everj^one. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  125 

HENRICK  L.  WATSON. 

Henrick  L.  Watson,  proprietor  of  the  general  blacksmith  and  repair 
shops  of  Adams,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  his  line 
in  Southeastern  Nebraska.  He  has  been  a  respected  resident  of  Adams 
for  twenty-three  years,  so  that  he  is  really  an  old  settler.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  his  trade  continuously  for  forty  years  and  his  present  pros- 
perity has  been  well  earned. 

Mr.  Watson  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  May  2,  1845. 
His  father,  ^^'illianl  Watson,  was  born  in  Scotland,  of  an  old  Scotch 
family,  and  was  a  tailor  by  trade.  He  voted  the  "Republican  ticket,  and 
was  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  in  religion.  He  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine,  honored  and  respected  for  his  worthy  character.  His  wife 
was  Lucy  Barrett,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and  she  died  when  si.xty- 
eight  years  old.  They  had  eight  sons  and  three  daughters.  Their  son 
Evanett  was  drum  major  of  the  Ninety-eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  with 
Sherman  in  the  march  to  the  sea.  Some  of  the  sons  are  deceased,  and 
the  two  daughters  living  are  Mary  and  Eda. 

Henrick  L.  Watson  was  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio.  During  the 
war  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Si.xty-first  Ohio 
Infantry,  under  Captain  Cables  and  Colonel  Taylor,  and  served  four 
months.  He  was  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  at  various  points  in  \'irginia 
and  Maryland.  He  learned  his  trade  as  an  iron  and  steel  worker  in  the 
railroad  shops  at  Denison,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  five  years,  and 
became  very  proficient,  as  his  subsequent  success  proves.  He  followed 
his  trade  in  Illinois  and  other  states  for  ten  years,  and  came  to  Johnson 
county,  Nebraska,  twenty-five  years  ago,  two  years  later  taking  up  his 
residence  at  Adams,  Gage  county,  where  he  founded  the  business  which 
he  has  carried  on  so  successfully  ever  since.     He  has  all  the  patronage 


126         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

which  he  can  handle,  and  the  long  continuance  of  some  of  his  customers 
gives  his  work  the  stamp  of  rehabihty. 

Mr.  Watson  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Jennie  Shaw,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Benjamin  Shaw  and  a  daughter  of  John  Shaw,  who  is  one 
of  tlie  honored  old  settlers  of  Adams,  having  come  here  in  1857.  The 
Shaw  family  history  is  given  on  other  pages  of  this  work.  John  and 
Sarah  Shaw  both  reside  in  Adams.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  have  six 
children :  Blanche,  Eda,  Ruth,  Lucy,  Esther,  and  John  McKibben.  Mr. 
Watson  is  a  Republican  in  political  creed,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  valued 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  They  are  liberal  in  dispensing 
their  means  and  their  efforts  for  the  general  welfare,  and  have  a  happy 
home  and  many  friends  throughout  the  town  and  county. 


JOHN  EDWARD  LAMBERT. 

John  Edward  Lambert,  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Nemaha  precinct,  Nemaha  postofifice,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Nemaha  county  for  over  thirty-five  years.  Coming  here  poor  in  health 
and  pocket,  he  has  taken  advantage  of  opportunities  as  they  presented 
themselves,  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker  in  everything  that  he  has 
undertaken,  and  his  efforts  have  been  rewarded  by  his  being  now  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  farmers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Lambert  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Virginia,  August  19, 
1837.  His  grandfather  and  grandmother  were  Virginia  farmers,  and 
the  latter  {iicc  Moore)  was  old  enough  to  spin  during  the  Revolution. 
Two  of  their  sons  volunteered  for  service  in  the  Mexican  war  and  were 
made  ofificers,  and  one  was  disabled  while  drilling  cavalry  troops  and  the 
other  was  killed  bv  his  horse.     Two  other  sons  came  and  settled  in  Mis- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  127 

souri  in  an  early  day.  Grandmother  Lambert  died  in  ^"irg■inia  when 
nearly  a  centenarian. 

Edward  Lambert,  the  father  of  John  Edward  Lambert,  was  born 
in  Virginia  about  1796,  and  died  in  Montgomery  county  of  that  state  in 
1862.  He  was  a  wagon-maker  by  trade,  and  had  his  shop  on  his  farm, 
which  he  also  tilled.  He  married  Sarah  Acres,  of  Virginia,  who  was 
related  by  marriage  to  the  celebrated  Pocahontas.  She  died  in  1865 
when  nearly  sixty-seven  years  old.  Edward  Lambert  was  a  man  of  great 
strength  and  vigorous  constitution,  and  his  death  was  caused  by  falling 
into  ice  cold  water,  from  which  he  contracted  lung  fever.  Neither  of 
them  was  member  of  any  church,  but  they  reared  their  children  under 
the  best  moral  influences.  They  had  a  large  family  of  children :  Clayton, 
a  farmer,  died  in  Virginia  about  fifty  years  old,  and  had  four  children; 
Martha  Ann,  the  wife  of  John  PofY,  died  in  Virginia  at  about  forty-five, 
the  mother  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Daniel  is  employed  on  public 
works  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  did  not  marry  till  late  in  life, 
having  one  son;  William  A.,  came  to  Nebraska  in  1857,  and  is  a  farmer 
in  Nemaha  precinct;  Amanda  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Broce,  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  has  six  sons  and  six  daughters:  Adaline  is  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Broce,  in  Ironton,  Ohio,  and  has  two  daughters ;  Samuel  Henry 
was  accidentally  killed  by  his  brother  at  the  age  of  three;  John  E.  is 
the  next  of  the  children ;  Eleming  Joseph,  a  farmer  near  Oxford  Junc- 
tion, Nebraska,  came  to  the  state  with  his  brother  John,  arriving  on  the 
day  the  state  was  admitted  into  the  LTnion;  Susan  Elizabeth  is  the  wife 
of  Benjamin  Moore,  in  Mississippi,  and  has  nine  children. 

John  Edward  Lambert  had  very  few  advantages  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  Virginia,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  left  the  home  in 
Montgomery  county  with  the  intention  of  coming  to  Nebraska.  He 
stopped,  however,  in  Lawrence  county;  Ohio,  and  worked  on  a  farm  by 


128  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

the  month  for  a  year  at  twelve  dollars  a  month,  the  usual  wages  being 
e\-en  lower  than  that.  He  theri  returned  to  Virginia,  and  remained  there 
until  the  latter  part  of  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Eighth 
Virginia  Infantry,  of  the  I'nion  army.  He  was  taken  sick  in  camp  and 
was  in  the  hospital  for  some  time,  and  when  he  started  to  join  his  regi- 
ment he  was  captured  by  the  Confederates.  He  was  kept  in  durance  vile 
for  about  t\\o  years,  in  the  jails  at  Stanton,  Lynchburg.  Belle  Isle,  and 
in  Libby.  He  escaped  twice  arid  was  recaptured,  but  finally  took  perma- 
nent departure  from  captivity,  and  was  secreted  from  the  rebels  during 
the  rest  of  the  war.  In  1867  he  came  with  his  brother  Fleming  to  Ne- 
braska, directly  from  A'irginia.  He  had  fifty  dollars  of  borrowed  money, 
and  was  an  invalid  from  the  exposure  of  prison  life.  The  dry  air  of  the 
western  prairies  soon  reinvigorated  him,  and  he  was  able  to  ply  energet- 
ically his  trade  of  mason,  and  was  also  a  tenant  farmer  both  before  and 
after  his  marriage.  After  his  marriage  he  sold  the  forty  acres  which  he 
had  managed  to  acquire,  but  since  then  has  been  continually  adding  to  his 
real  estate  interests  until  he  is  now  owner  of  five  hundred  and  eighty-six 
acres  of  contiguous  land,  with  two  dwellings  and  barns,  and  he  has  a 
tenant  farmer  on  a  jiart  of  the  land.  He  has  successfully  carried  on 
mixed  farming,  raising  as  high  as  ten  thousand  bushels  of  corn  annually. 
During  the  thirty-six  years  that  he  has  spent  in  this  state  his  average 
yearly  profits  ha-ve  been  a  thousand  dollars,  which  is  a  record  to  be 
proud  of. 

^Ir.  Lambert  was  married  December  9,  1873,  to  ]\Iiss  Tena  ^\'ebber, 
who  was  born  in  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Polly  ( }iIorse)  \^'ebber,  farmers,  who  came  to  Missouri  in  1859,  and 
in  1866  to  this  neighborhood,  where  they  bought  forty  acres ;  they  reared 
two  children,  and  Mr.  Webber  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter  by  a  former 
marriage.     Mr.   and  Mrs.   Lambert  have  had  fi\e  children :   Dora,  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  129 

wife  of  R.  L.  Keister,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five;  Luella,  whom 
everyone  cahed  Lou,  was  the  wife  of  William  Russell,  and  died  a  bride 
of  two  montlis,  at  the  age  of  nineteen;  Miss  Sarah  Ada,  aged  nineteen, 
is  at  home;  ^Vaverly  ]M.  died  aged  eighteen  months;  Dan  is  in  the  dis- 
trict school.  ■Mr.  Lambert  has  been  a  Republican  in  principle,  but  is  now 
independent  in  the  casting  of  his  vote.  He  has  been  successful  in  the 
ultimate  outcome  of  his  business  career. 


JOHN  W.  BARNHART. 

John  W.  Barnhart,  proprietor  and  publisher  of  the  Nemaha  County 
Herald,  Auburn,  Nebraska,  was  born  November  8,  1856,  in  Mount  Joy, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  Alsace-Lorraine  was  the  home  of  the 
Barnharts  before  they  came  to  this  country,  and  their  arrival  in  America 
dates  back  beyond  the  Revolutionary  period.  One  of  Mr.  Barnhart's 
grandsires  was  a  commanding  officer  under  Washington  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution.  His  father  and  grandfather,  Israel  and  Jacob  Barn- 
hart,  were  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  former  in  1827  and 
the  latter  in  1793.  Grandfather  Barnhart  passed  his  life  and  died  in  his 
native  county,  his  age  at  death  being  seventy-eight  years.  Israel  Barn- 
hart has  for  many  years  been  a  resident  of  Alount  Joy,  Pennsylvania, 
and  as  a  contractor  and  builder  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
that  place.  He  was  married  in  1853  to  Miss  Lydia  Bear,  a  native  of 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1826,  daughter  of  a  merchant 
tailor.  Of  the  six  children  born  to  them,  we  record  that  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  John  S.  Hamaker;  John  W.  was  the  second  born;  William  B. 
is  a  resident  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania ;  Henry  C.  lives  in  York,  Penn- 
sylvania;    Samuel    B.    is   a    resident   of    Pittsburg;    and    Elizabeth,    the 


I30  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

youngest,  resides  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  The  father,  Israel  Barn- 
hart,  makes  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hamaker,  in  Mount 
Joy,  the  mother  having  died  in  1895. 

John  W.  Barnhart  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  at  Cedar  Hill  Seminary.  He  began  his  newspaper 
work  as  "printer's  de\ir"  in  the  office  of  the  Mount  Joy  Herald,  and 
remained  in  that  office  three  years,  working  his  way  up  and  thoroughly 
familiarizing  himself  with  every  detail  of  the  business.  He  was  after- 
wards employed  for  a  short  time  in  the  office  of  the  Daily  Ncz^'  Era,  at 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  In  1877  he  came  west  to  Nebraska,  first  locat- 
ing in  Lincoln  and  soon  afterwards  remu\-ing  to  Sterling,  where  he  estab- 
lished the  Sterling  News,  a  weekly  paper  which  he  published  a  year  and 
a  half.  His  next  move  was  to  Tecumseh.  There  he  started  the  Johnson 
County  Journal,  a  weekly  paper  Democratic  in  politics.  This  paper  he 
sold  in  the  spring  of  1881.  Returning  to  Lincoln,  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  with  General  Victor  Vifquain,  in  the  Daily  State  Deinoerat.  One 
vear  later  General  \'ifquain  sold  his  interest  in  the  paper  to  Hon.  Albert 
\\'atkins.  and  the  firm  became  \A'atkins  &  Barnhart.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1883  Mr.  Barnhart  sold  out  to  Hon.  W.  S.  Sawyer,  who  was 
afterwards  United  States  district  attorney  for  the  district  of  Nebraska. 
In  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Barnhart  located  at  Elk  Creek,  Nebraska,  where 
he  published  the  Echo  until  the  latter  part  of  1887.  and  at  the  same  time 
was  postmaster  of  the  town,  his  appointment  being  made  by  President 
Cleveland.  Late  in  1887  he  moved  his  plant  to  Auburn,  and  February  i, 
1888,  issued  his  first  copy  of  the  Nemaha  County  Herald.  He  owns  the 
building  in  which  his  plant  is  located  and  from  time  to  time  has  made 
improvements  and  enlargements  in  his  equipment  until  he  is  now  pre- 
pared to  care  for  the  regular  work  of  the  paper,  which  at  this  writing 
has  a  circulation  of  o\er  two  thousand  seven  hundred,  and  also  to  do 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  131 

the  large  amount  of  job  printing  whicli  comes  to  his  office.  His  employes 
number  seven  to  ten. 

l\lr.  Barnhart  married,  in  1883,  in  Tecumseh,  Nebraska.  Miss  Clarabel 
Foster,  a  native  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  William  L. 
and  Adelaid  (Chittenden)  Foster.  Mrs.  Barnhart  was  educated  in  her 
native  town,  famed  far  and  near  as  an  educational  center,  and  had  for 
one  of  her  professors  the  historian  Ridpath.  She  was  for  some  time 
previous  to  her  marriage  a  teacher.  They  ha\-e  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  Edgar  Geoffrey,  Kathryn  Elois,  Charles  Bryan, 
Chandler  Foster,  and  Marguerite. 

Mr.  Barnhart  is,  fraternally,  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Politicallv  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, active  and  enthusiastic  in  party  affairs.  He  has  served  his  ward 
in  Auburn  as  a  member  of  the  common  council.  In  1897  he  was  in  the 
legislature  as  second  assistant  clerk  of  the  house  of  representatives.  At 
this  writing  he  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Nebraska  Democratic 
Editorial  Association,  with  office  at  Auburn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  in 
their  religious  faith  are  Episcopalians. 


ABNER  R  LOOFBOURROW. 

Abner  R.  Loofbourrow,  a  retired  farmer  who  has  resided  in  or  near 
the  city  of  Peru  for  the  past  thirty  years,  and  has  lived  in  Nebraska 
since  1869,  is  well  known  and  thoroughly  esteemed  and  respected 
throughout  Nemaha  county  and  has  had  a  career  of  unusual  interest. 
While  he  is  now  seventy-fi\e  }ears  old,  he  still  retains  his  powers  of  mind 
and  body  and  is  able  to  enjoy  the  comforts  which  his  past  labors  have 
given  him.    As  a  citizen  he  has  performed  all  the  duties  which  have  fallen 


i 


132         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

to  his  lot,  as  a  toiler  in  the  world  for  his  individual  gain  he  has  been 
successful,  and  as  the  father  of  a  family  he  has  placed  his  children  well 
equipped  on  the  road  of  life  and  won  their  undying  love  and  respect  as 
a  father  and  kind  friend. 

Mr.  Loofbourrow  was  horn  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1829.  His  grandfather,  David  Loofbourrow,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land in  1755,  and  after  coming  to  America  was  a  soldier  in  the  ranks  of 
the  patriot  army,  afterward  drawing  a  pension  for  the  part  he  had  ren- 
dered as  a  soldier  of  the  country.  He  was  an  old-school  physician  and 
also  a  Baptist  minister,  and  though  he  lived  a  life  of  usefulness  to  his 
fellow  men  he  was  not  a  money-getter.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
three  years,  and  his  last  resting  place  is  in  Jefiferson  county,  Ohio.  He 
was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife.  Amy  Gaskell,  he  had  three  sons 
and  two  daughters.  His  second  wife,  the  grandmother  of  Mr.  Loof- 
bourrow, was  Catherine  Rittei. house,  a  nati\-e  of  New  York  or  of  New 
England. 

David  Loofbourrow,  the  father  of  Abner  Loofbourrow,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  January  4,  1799,  and  died  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa, 
in  June,  1877.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 
He  was  married  about  1819  to  Miss  Jane  Shanks,  who  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1800,  and  died  in  1S81.  They  had  eleven 
children,  eight  of  whom  came  to  adult  age:  Malinda,  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Day,  died  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  in  1870  at  the  age  of  forty-seven, 
leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  Louisa  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  unmarried.  \\^illiam,  who  died  in  Fairfield,  Iowa,  in  1853,  was  a 
teacher,  and  in  the  year  of  his  death  he  and  his  wife  had  come  from 
Ohio  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  Abner  R.  is  the  next  of  the  children. 
David,  a  farmer  died  in  Humboldt  county,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six,  leaving  seven  sons.     John,  a  farmer  and  teacher,  died  in  Harrison 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  133 

county,  Ohio,  in  1871,  and  lefl  two  sons.  Wade  is  a  farmer  in  Wayne 
county,  Iowa,  and  lias  eiglit  children.  James  now  a  farmer  in  Van 
Buren  county.  Iowa,  was  a  sokher  in  the  Civil  war,  and  on  one  battlefield 
was  left  for  dead  and  \\'as  supposed  for  six  months  to  be  dead ;  he  lost  an 
eye  in  the  service  and  has  been  totally  blind  for  years,  but  is  \-ery  active, 
cheerful  and  performs  his  farm  duties  with  wonderful  ability;  he  is  a 
great  "favorite  at  the  soldiers"  reunions,  and  recently  attended  one  in 
Ohio :  he  has  five  sons  and  one  daugliter,  all  grown. 

Abner  R.  Loofbourrow  had  a  limited  schooling  in  the  district  schools 
up  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  while  his  elder  brother  William  was 
awa}'  at  college  he  was  required  for  the  work  at  home.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  past  his  twenty-second  year,  and  after  his  marriage 
lived  with  his  wife's  family  until  1854.  In  that  year  he  came  west  to 
Jasper  county,  Iowa,  and  bought  a  quarter  section  of  new  prairie  land, 
where  he  made  his  home  and  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  his  land 
until  1869.  He  then  sold  his  place  for  five  thousand  dollars,  at  a  hand- 
some profit  over  his  original  investment.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  came 
to  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  and  with  four  thousand  dollars  of  his 
cash  capital  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty-four  acres,  with 
fair  improvements.  He  came  to  Peru  on  the  first  of  January,  1873,  'I'l^' 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  near  by.  This  he  soon  sold  at  a  profit, 
and  bought  a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres  adjoining  the  town  of  Peru.  He 
also  disposed  of  this  place  at  an  advantage,  and  his  present  property  con- 
sists of  seven  acres  within  the  city  limits.  He  has  three  houses,  two 
of  which  he  had  built,  and  bought  the  other,  the  newest  one  renting  for 
two  hundred  dollars  a  year.  Before  the  death  of  his  wife  they  kept 
boarders,  and  he  now  takes  roomers  from  the  normal  students. 

June  19,  185 1,  Mr.  Loofbourrow  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Jane 
Carr,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  in  November,  1834.     Her 


134  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

fatlier,  William  Carr,  married  a  Miss  Bechtell,  and  they  were  farmers 
in  good  circumstances  in  Ohio,  where  they  died  past  middle  life,  leaving 
Mrs.  Loofbourrow  as  their  only  daughter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loofbourrow 
had  si.x  children :  William,  who  is  a  college-bred  man  and  a  minister 
of  the  iNIethodist  Episcopal  church,  is  located  at  Atwood,  Kansas,  and 
has  been  married  twice,  having  seven  living  children,  three  sons  and 
four  daughters;  Wade,  born  in  Iowa  in  1856,  died  in  Red  Willow 
county,  Nebraska,  in  July,  1891,  leaving  a  wife;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
N.  E.  Wagner,  a  shoemaker  and  dealer  in  Eureka,  California,  has  four 
sons  and  two  daughters ;  Rose,  who  graduated  from  the  Peru  normal 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  and  taught  school  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  is  now 
the  wife  of  Mr.  A.  D.  Brown,  a  machinist  in  the  mills  of  Eureka,  Cali- 
fornia, and  they  have  two  children;  Lillian,  the  wife  of  INIarion  Newton, 
having  been  a  teacher  before  her  marriage,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years ; 
Thaddeus  Lincoln,  who  graduated  from  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chi- 
cago and  was  one  of  the  thirty  out  of  a  class  of  two  hundred  to  carry 
off  honors,  is  now  practicing  medicine  in  Eureka.  California,  and  has 
four  daughters. 

The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  Peru,  June  2.  1889.  On  Janu- 
ary 7,  1892,  ]Mr.  Loofbourrow  was  married  to  Mrs.  ^Millie  Carl,  the 
widow  of  James  Carl.  Her  maiden  name  was  Thompkins,  and  she  was 
born  in  Galesburg,  Illinois.  She  was  a  teacher,  and  a  noble  and  true 
Christian  woman.  She  died  January  16,  1903,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
She  was  an  active  worker  in  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church,  although 
reared  in  the  Congregational  faith.  She  was  of  a  most  intellectual  and 
high-minded  family,  and  one  of  her  brothers  is  a  Congregational  minister 
in  Chicago  and  another  is  a  physician.  ]Mr.  Loofbourrow  voted  the 
Republican  ticket  until  about  ten  years  ago,  since  which  time  he  has  sup- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  135 

ported  the   Prohibition  cause.      He  lias  been   connected   witli  botli  the 
Baptist  and  the  Methodist  churches,  and  has  held  official  relations  in  both. 


BENJAMIN  T.  SKEEN. 

Benjamin  T.  Skeen,  who  is  one  of  tlie  thoroughly  practical  farmers 
and  stockmen  of  Nemaha  county,  residing  in  London  precinct,  Brown- 
ville  postoffice,  has  lived  in  this  part  of  southeastern  Nebraska  practically 
all  his  life,  since  the  year  1855,  when  the  country  was  one  unbroken 
stretch  of  prairie  and  woodland,  uncultivated,  unimproved,  the  haunt  of 
the  Indian  antl  the  wild  animals  which  had  roamed  it  for  all  the  pre- 
ceding centuries.  Coming  at  such  a  period,  he  has  naturally  been  a  wit- 
ness to  all  the  development  and  progress  which  have  transformed  the 
land  into  waving  grain  fields,  beautiful  homesteads  and  prosperous  towns 
and  \'illages,  and  he  has  taken  his  due  share  in  this  work  of  advance- 
ment. 

]Mr.  Skeen  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  country,  varioits 
members  of  which  have  taken  part  in  all  the  principal  wars  of  the  republic. 
He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  origin.  Alexander  Skeen,  great-grandfather  of 
Mr.  Skeen,  was  a  .patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  died  in  a  prison  pen 
with  his  oldest  son.  His  wife  Sarah  then  left  her  home  in  South  Caro- 
lina with  her  only  son,  Jesse,  and  came  to  Tennessee.  Jesse  Skeen  was 
born  in  South  Carolina,  No\ember  20,  1764,  and  was  a  Tennessee 
planter.  He  married  Keziah,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Tailor,  and  born 
April  II,  1777.  They  reared  all  their  ten  children,  three  sons  and  seven 
daughters.  Kenyon  Skeen,  the  oldest  of  the  sons,  was  a  farmer  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  lived  and  died,  leaving  five  children;  Alexander  D. 
Skeen,  born  November  18,  181  t,  was  an  earlv  settler  to  Nemaha  countv, 


136  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

his  further  history  being  detailed  with  that  of  T.  B.  Skeen  in  another 
part  of  this  work. 

John  G.  Skeen,  the  other  son,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  September  3, 
1818,  and  died  in  Nemaha  county,  January  28,  1899.  He  married  Miss 
MeHnda  Dinning,  wlio  was  born  in  Tennessee,  January  16,  181 5,  and  is 
now  hving  in  Wabaunsee  county,  Kansas,  bright  in  mind  and  body  for 
all  her  eighty-eight  years.  Her  father  was  a  school  teacher  and  a  Mis- 
sissippi tlatboatman,  born  in  May,  1794,  and  died  April  28,  1829,  and  his 
wife  was  Lavina  Beason,  born  in  1794  and  died  in  1875,  and  they  reared 
four  children.  Melinda  was  the  only  daughter,  and  she  was  married  to 
John  G.  Skeen,  December  12,  1843,  '^Y  whom  she  had  seven  children: 
Andrew  J.,  born  October  2y,  1844,  is  a  farmer  and  stock  rancher  in 
Wabaunsee  county,  Kansas,  where  his  mother  lives,  and  has  eight  sons 
and  one  daughter;  Melvina  E.,  born  October  29,  1847,  the  wife  of  James 
Maddox,  died  in  Nebraska,  July  8,  1890,  leaving  two  sons  and  one 
daughter;  Alexander,  born  April  28,  1850,  died  when  eight  months  old; 
Benjamin  T.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth  ;  Kenyon  P.,  born  June  6,  1853, 
died  May  2z„  1857;  John  W.,  born  June  29,  1855,  died  May  7,  1857; 
Melinda  J.,  born  August  22,  1858,  the  only  one  born  in  Nebraska,  is  the 
wife  of  C.  W.  Roberts,  in  this  county,  and  has  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  John  G.  Skeen's  first  wife  was  Betsey  Herald:  who  died 
leaving  one  child,  Mary  K.,  born  January  22,  1842.  She  married  E. 
Harwood,  by  whom  she  had  a  son,  John  W.  Harwood,  and  she  then 
married  James  Thrush,  by  whom  she  had  a  daughter,  who  is  now  a  Mrs. 
Beattie,  in  Logansport,  Indiana;  ]\Irs.  Thrush  died  October  6,  1878. 
Grandmother  Dinning  left  four  Bibles,  the  oldest  of  which  was  printed 
in  1617,  and  is  now  owned  by  her  grandson,  H.  D.  Dinning,  in  Ten- 
nessee, who  prizes  this  heirloom  both  for  its  own  value  and  for  the  cher- 
ished memorv  of  its  former  owner. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  137 

John  G.  Skeen  brouglit  his  family  to  Nemaha  county  on  November 
I,  1855,  coming  in  true  emigrant  fashion,  with  a  two-horse  covered 
wagon  and  a  spring  wagon  which  his  wife  drove.  He  had  inlierited  some 
means,  and  pre-empted  one  hunch'ed  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section 
33,  London  precinct,  his  entry  being  the  sixth  on  tlie  book  at  the  land 
office  in  Omaha.  He  was  accompained  by  Bill  Hayes  and  Bob  Herron  as 
far  as  Omaha.  Hayes  is  now  living  in  Atchison  county,  Missouri,  in 
his  ninety-ninth  year,  and  attended  the  last  old  settlers'  picnic  in  1903, 
being  still  bright  for  the  patriarch  of  the  assemblage. 

Benjamin  T.  Skeen  was  born  in  middle  Tennessee,  September  23, 
1851,  so  that  he  was  a  boy  of  four  years  when  he  came  to  this  state.  He 
was  reared  to  farm  life  and  labor  from  the  age  of  nine,  and  the  schooling 
which  he  recei\-ed  in  the  district  was  meager.  He  has  worked  hard  for 
all  he  got,  and  his  prosperity  has  been  won  by  steady  progression.  He 
now  owns  two  huinlred  and  forty  and  one-half  acres  in  his  farm,  and 
does  not  owe  any  man  a  cent.  He  feeds  and  markets  one  or  two  car- 
loads of  cattle  each  year,  besides  a  hundred  and  fifty  Poland  China  hogs. 
He  keeps  ten  or  fifteen  head  of  first-class  horses  and  mules.  He  puts 
in  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  corn  and  cuts  from  thirty  to 
eighty  tons  of  hay  annually.  His  first  purchase  of  land  here  was  ninety- 
two  acres  for  a  thousand  dollars,  and  he  afterward  bought  ninety  for 
two  thousand,  ten  acres  of  which  he  sold  at  forty  dollars  an  acre,  and  in 
1 89 1  bought  sixty-seven  and  a  half  for  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  One 
hundred  acres  of  this  lies  on  the  first  bottom  along  the  Nemaha  river, 
forty  acres  on  the  second  bottom,  and  eighty  acres  on  the  highlands 
back  of  his  house  and  barns.  He  is  a  diligent  worker  in  every  depart- 
ment of  his  industry,  and  his  practical  farming  has  brought  to  him  its 
just  reward. 

Mr.  Skeen  was  married,  January  15,  1873,  to  Miss  Hester  Y.  Blount, 


138  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

who  was  born  in  Nicholas  county,  Kentucky,  May  30,  1855.  a  daughter 
of  WilHam  H.  and  Sarah  (Fuller)  Blount,  farmers  of  Kentucky.  Wil- 
liam Blount,  who  had  served  in  tlie  Mexican  war,  came  to  Nebraska 
in  1868,  and  died  here  May  16,  1875,  leaving  his  widow  and  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Hester  V.,  now  Mrs.  Skeen :  William  K.  Breckin- 
ridge Blount,  born  in  1858,  who  is  a  farmer  in  this  precinct  and -has 
four  children  ;  Anna,  wife  of  O.  P.  Dovel,  in  Auburn,  and  Nancy  Marinda 
Tilton,  wife  of  W.  E.  Robertson,  at  Cook,  Nebraska.  The  mother  of 
these  children  lives  in  Auburn. 

Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skeen :  Lottie,  the 
wife  of  E.  S.  Stiers,  a  farmer  in  Nemaha  precinct,  and  has  two  sons  and 
one  daughter ;  Lillie  K.  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  months ;  Herman  died 
when  ten  months  old ;  Ninon  was  educated  in  Peru  and  is  at  home  with 
her  parents;  Carl  is  at  home;  and  Helen,  aged  fifteen,  is  in  the  district 
school.  Mr.  Skeen  is  a  Master  Mason  of  Hope  Lodge  No.  29,  and  he 
and  his  wife  and  daughter  affiliate  with  the  Eastern  Star  lodge.  He  is 
a  Populist  in  politics,  ha\ing  come  o\-er  from  the  Democratic  ranks, 
where  all  his  ancestors  were.  He  has  ser\-ed  as  school  director  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  in  both  public  and  d(imestic  relations  has  won  the  esteem 
of  his  many  friends  and  associates,  hi  the  early  days  here  his  father's 
house  was  used  as  a  place  of  worship,  the  elder  Skeen  taking  an  active 
part  in  church  work. 


GUILFORD  LILLY. 

Among  the  retired  farmers  who  are  living  quietly  in  the  pleasant 
town  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  is  found  the  subject  if  this  sketch,  Guilford 
Lilly. 

Mr.  Lilly  is  a  New  Yorker  by  nativity,  but  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  139 

tury  has  been  a  resident  of  Nebraska.  He  was  I^nrn  in  Old  Deerfield, 
Oneida  connty,  New  York,  October  3,  18^9,  a  son  of  New  England 
parents.  Shnbael  Lilly,  his  father,  was  born  near  Lebanon,  Connecticut, 
in  1798.  and  died  in  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  the  family 
record  being  as  follows:  Harriet,  who  died  in  Bea\erdam,  Wisconsin, 
in  1901.  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  was  twice  married,  and  had 
one  child  by  her  first  husband,  Mr.  Clawson,  and  one  by  her  second  hus- 
band, ]\Ir.  Rising;  the  next  three  children,  Sarah  Ann,  Fidelia  and  Ada- 
line,  died  of  an  epidemic,  within  three  weeks  of  each  other,  when  they 
were  quite  small;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Maxson  Crandall,  a  farmer  of 
A^alley  county,  Nebraska,  has  a  large  family ;  Guilford  was  the  sixth  in 
order  of  birth;  Parker  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Julia,  wife  of  S.  C. 
Saunders,  of  Milton,  Wisconsin,  has  a  family  of  three  children;  and 
George  H.,  a  farmer  and  teacher  of  vocal  music,  died  in  Albion,  Wis- 
consin, in  1902,  leaving  one  son  and  one  daughter.  The  mother  of  this 
family  died  in  Harts\-ille,  Steuben  county.  New  York. 

Guilford  Lilly  was  reared  to  farm  life  in  New  York  state,  spending 
his  first  five  years  in  his  native  county  and  the  next  fifteen  years  in 
Steuben  county.  In  1850  he  landed  in  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  farmed  rented  land  until  1859.  That  year  he  came  to  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska.  The  trip  from  Madison,  Wisconsin,  to  his  place  was  made 
in  a  "prairie  schooner"  with  two  yoke  of  cattle,  Mr.  Lilly  being  one  of 
a  party  of  fi\e,  and  they  were  from  April  ist  to  May  20th  in  making  the 
journey.  After  his  arrival  here,  Mr.  Lilly  traded  his  interests  in  the 
outfit  for  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  with  the  six  hundred  dollars  he  had  saved 
and  brought  with  him  he  bought  ninety  acres  of  wild  prairie  land,  pay- 
ing one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre  for  eighty  acres,  and  one 
hundred  dollars  for  ten  acres  of  timber  land,  this  purchase  being  in  Bed- 


I40  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ford  precinct.  This  land  he  sold  in  1865,  at  a  profit,  and  bought  another 
farm,  which  he  operated  for  a  number  of  years  and  whicli  he  still  o\vns. 

During  the  Civil  war  period  Mr.  Lilly  donned  the  blue  and  fought 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union.  He  enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1S62.  as 
a  member  of  Company  C,  Second  Nebraska  Cavalry,  and  shared  the 
fortunes  of  that  command  for  nearly  a  year,  their  duty  being  in  Nebraska, 
to  watch  the  Indians  on  the  west  and  the  Bushwhackers  on  the  east. 

Mr.  Lilly  was  married,  February  24,  1861,  in  Dodge  county,  Wis- 
consin, to  Miss  Elizabeth  Johnson,  a  native  of  Vermont.  Mrs.  Lilly  was 
born  September  29,  1842,  daughter  of  O.  B.  and  Helen  Ann  (\\'ood) 
Johnson,  and  granddaughter  of  Captain  Nathan  Wood.  O.  B.  Johnson 
and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom  three 
are  living,  viz.:  Mrs.  Lilly;  Julia,  wife  of  George  C.  Bryaut.  of  River- 
side California,  is  the  mother  of  four  children;  and  Henry  P.  Johnson, 
of  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lilly  have  and  only  child,  Encie,  wife  of  E.  P.  Thomas; 
and  the  grandchildren  now  number  five — Ethel,  Elfie,  Edna,  Erica,  and 
Edith, — an  interesting  little  group.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  also  have  a 
son  and  a  daughter  deceased. 

In  1893  Mr.  Lilly  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  farm  life  and 
moved  to  Auburn.  His  pleasant  home  in  Maxwell  street  he  has  owned 
and  occupied  since  1897.  For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Lilly  was  a  school  direc- 
tor.    He  is,  politically,  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  a  ]\Iason. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  141 

WILLIAM   M.   KAUFFMAN. 

Numbered  among  the  leading  business  men  of  Brownville  is  William 
M.  Kauffman,  the  \vell  known  merchant,  and  since  1868  he  has  made  his 
home  in  this  county.  He  came  here  from  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  place  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  occurring  there  on  the  2d  of 
February,  1S48,  and  the  family  is  of  Swiss  origin.  His  father,  John  j\I. 
Kauffman,  also  claimed  Lancaster  county  as  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
where  he  was  born  in  1818,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  Kauffman,  who 
was  born  in  either  Pennsylvania  or  Maryland,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  the  former  state  in  1866.  The  latter  married  a  Miss  Mets,  also  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  they  reared  five  sons  and  three  daughters  One  son, 
Aaron,  was  numbered  among  the  goldseekers  to  California  in  1849,  when 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  and  fills  and  unknown  grave.  Another  son, 
Cyrus  Kauffman,  came  from  Ohio  to  Brownville  in  1867.  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  nursery  business.  Christian  Kauffman  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1874,  leaving  a  family,  and  Andrew,  also  deceased,  made  his 
home  in  Tippecanoe  City,  Ohio. 

John  M.  Kauffman,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  merchant  tailor 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  member  of  the  state 
militia.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  married  Martha  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  that  county  in  1818,  and  was  a  daughter  of  George  Miller. 
Five  sons  blessed  their  marriage,  namely :  Franklin,  who  died  in  early 
childhood;  Hiram,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  William  M. ;  Jere- 
miah, a  merchant  of  Baltimore;  and  Winfield  Scott,  a  merchant  of  Balti- 
more, Maryland.  The  mother  still  resides  at  the  old  homestead,  and  has 
reached  the  age  of  eight-five  years. 

William  W.  Kauffman  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  for  three  years  thereafter  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Manheim,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 


142         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

vania.  Coming  thence  to  Brownville,  Nemaha  county.  Nebraska,  he 
entered  the  store  of  W.  T.  Den,  where  he  remained  as  a  salesman  for 
three  years,  and  from  that  time  until  1887  was  employed  in  the  store 
of  \Y.  W.  Hackney.  In  that  year  Mr.  Kauffman  purchased  his  em- 
ployer's interest,  and  has  since  been  alone  in  business,  enjoying  a  large 
and  lucrative  patronage.  In  .'Xpril,  1903,  his  store  was  destroyed  by 
fire  and  he  sustained  a  heavy  loss,  but  he  immediately  rebuilt,  and  he 
now  occupies  a  leading  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  representative  business 
men  of  the  city. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kauffman  was  celebrated  in  May,  1881,  when 
Miss  Teresa  McLaughlin  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  native  of  Iowa  and 
a  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Mary  (Wogan)  McLaughlin,  both  born  in 
the  Emerald  Isle.  After  coming  to  this  country  they  went  first  to  Con- 
necticut, thence  to  Iowa,  and  about  1856  located  in  Omaha,  Nebraska. 
The  father  was  a  stonemason  by  trade,  and  he  survived  his  wife  four 
years,  the  latter  passing  away  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Two  sons  have 
been  born  to  brighten  and  bless  the  home  of  Mr  and  Mrs.  Kauffman. — 
^^'illiam,  who  is  connected  with  his  father's  store,  and  John  M.,  a  clerk 
in  the  Union  National  Bank.  Both  are  graduates  of  the  Brownville 
high  school  and  for  two  terms  were  also  students  in  the  Peru  normal, 
while  the  elder,  William,  received  a  business  course  in  Omaha.  Mr. 
Kauffman  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a  member  of  the  ]\I)-stic 
.Shrine,  and  his  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Democracy.  For  thir- 
teen consecutive  years  he  served  as  the  treasurer  of  Brownville,  and  for 
thirteen  years  was  treasurer  of  the  school  board.  Mrs.  Kauffman  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church.  For  ten  years  they  have  resided  in  their 
pleasant  residence  in  Brownville,  and  there  they  delight  to  extend  a 
gracious  hospitality  to  their  many  friends  and  acciuaintances. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  143 

CHARLES  AUGUST  WEY. 

Charles  Aug-ust  Wey,  who  was  engaged  in  the  butchering  business 
in  Peru  for  twenty  years  and  is  now  retired,  is  an  old  settler  of  this 
town,  where  lie  first  took  up  his  residence  on  July  17,  1869.  He  is  now 
in  prosperous  circumstances  and  happy  and  contented  with  what  he  has 
gained  in  the  world,  but  about  thirty-six  years  ago,  when  he  came  up 
the  Missouri  river  from  St.  Joseph,  he  had  only  five  cents  with  which 
to  pay  in  part  his  passage  across  the  river  by  ferry  boat.  Such  con- 
trasts in  material  circumstances  are  not  the  result  of  good  fortune  or 
chance,  and  in  this  particular  instance  unflagging  industry  and  a  pertina- 
cious grip  on  the  business  in  hand  have  steadily  wrought  increasing  suc- 
cess for  Mr.  W'ey.  He  is  a  man  of  true  worth  and  integrity  and  relia- 
bility, and  deserves  and  retains  the  esteem  of  all  his  friends  and  asso- 
ciates. 

Mr.  Wey  was  born  in  Saxony.  Germany,  in  1837.  His  father, 
Frederick  Martin  ^^'ey,  was  born  in  Saxony,  March  9,  1804,  and  died 
in  Germany  in  i860,  leaving  his  second  wife  and  seven  children,  five  by 
his  first  wife  and  two  by  the  second.  His  first  wife  was  Kathrina  Doll, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  leaving  five  of  her  nine  children, 
namely:  Elias  Wey,  is  a  farmer  in  Germany,  aged  seventy-six  years; 
Mary  Elizabeth  came  to  America  in  1847,  heing  six  months  on  the  pas- 
sage, and  died  soon  afterward  in  Huntington,  Indiana,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  Frederick  came  at  the  same  time  with  his  sister;  Andrew, 
who  came  to  America  in  the  early  fifties,  is  now  the  owner  of  a  confec- 
tionery store  in  Peru,  Indiana,  of  which  town  he  was  trustee  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  he  has  five  children. 

Charles  August  Wey.  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  children  left 
by  his  mother,  enjoyed  a  fine  schooling  in  Germany,  and  was  reared 
to  his  father's  business  of  butchering  and  beer  brewing.     He  served  a 


144  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

year  and  a  half  in  the  German  army.  He  came  to  America  in  1867  and 
landed  at  New  York  ^lay  20th,  having  six  hnndred  dollars  in 
gold  at  the  time  of  his  arri\-al.  He  came  to  Peru,  Indiana,  and  butchered 
there  for  two  months,  and  then  \vent  to  St.  Louis,  ]\Iissouri,  where  his 
half-brother  George,  who  had  graduated  from  a  German  school,  was 
engaged  in  teaching  the  German  language  in  one  of  the  schools,  and  he 
is  still  living  in  St.  Louis,  being  a  bookkeeper,  and  has  a  family.  Air. 
Wey  remained  with  his  half-brother  two  days,  and  then  embarked  on  a 
boat  for  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  where  his  brother  Fred  was  in  business. 
He  ramained  there  from  June,  1867,  to  March  9,  1868,  and  then  came  to 
Brownville,  Nebraska.  He  had  lost  his  six  hundred  dollars,  and  had 
just  five  cents  to  pay  the  ferryman  at  Brownville.  He  remained  in  the 
latter  place  about  three  weeks,  being  unsuccessful  in  his  efforts  to  gain 
steady  employment,  and  from  there  went  to  Nebraska  City,  where  he 
found  employment  at  his  trade  at  a  salary  of  thirty-five  dollars  a  month 
and  board.  After  leaving  there  he  came  to  Peru  and  opened  the  first 
meat  market  in  this  town.  He  was  in  trade  for  twenty  years,  during 
which  time  se\eral  competitors  started  rival  establishments  but  all  failed. 
]\Ir.  W'ey  now  owns  his  nice  home  and  two  and  a  half  town  lots,  besides 
a  forty-acre  timber  and  fruit  farm  in  the  precinct.  He  still  does  some 
butchering  for  the  old  settlers  and  their  children.  He  has  made  all  that 
he  has  by  his  unaided  efforts,  and  well  deserves  his  prosperity  and  easy 
retirement  from  the  hard  labor  that  characterized  his  early  life. 

.\ugust  15,  1884,  Mr.  Wey  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Margaret  Wis- 
sig,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  March  16,  1862.  She  came  to  America  in 
1880,  with  a  sister,  locating  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  she  worked  as  serv- 
ant for  wages  of  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  a  week  for  three 
years.  In  November,  1883,  she  and  her  sister  came  to  Peru,  and  here 
she  and  Mr.  W'ev  met  and  were  married.     She  has  been  a  most  excellent 


ANDREW   H.    GILMORE 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  145 

wife  and  motlier,  and  is  an  estimable  woman  in  every  sphere  of  lier 
influence.  ]\Ir.  and  Airs,  ^^'ey  Ijecame  the  parents  of  nine  children,  but 
lost  three  in  infancy,  tlie  others  being  as  follows :  Anna  Catherine  is  a 
young  lady  of  eighteen  years,  at  Iiome  and  through  school ;  Julius  Andrew 
works  on  his  father's  farm ;  Charles  August  is  also  employed ;  Mary 
Eliza  and  Frieda  Louise,  aged  respectively  thirteen  and  twelve,  are  bright 
young  girls  in  school :  and  Frederick,  a  boy  of  ten,  completes  the  family. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  \\'ey  are  Lutherans,  and  he  has  always  voted  the  Republi- 
can ticket. 

ANDREW  H.  GILMORE. 

Andrew  H.  Gilmore,  a  merchant  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  this  state.  He  passed  through  this  section  of  the  country 
first  in  1850,  while  en  route  to  California,  and  when  he  next  came  it  was 
in  February,  1869,  as  a  permanent  settler. 

Mr.  Gilmore  belongs  to  a  large  family  whose  original  ancestors  in 
this  country  were  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  who  came  here  and  made 
settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  James  river  in  Virginia  in  colonial  days. 
For  the  most  part  they  have  been  farmers.  Thomas  Gilmore  and 
William  Gilmore,  the  father  and  grandfather  of  Andrew  H.,  were  born 
in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  the  former  November  20,  1792,  and 
the  latter  in  1760.  William  Gilmore  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  married  Martha  Lackey,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1761,  and 
both  lived  to  ripe  old  age,  his  death  occurring  September  16,  1836,  and 
hers  February  15,  1843.  They  reared  a  large  family,  whose  names  are 
as  follows:  Agnes,  born  I\Iay  9,  1784,  died  August  24,  1812;  Robert, 
born  April  9,  1786,  died  February  25,  1839;  Martha  Davidson,  born 
March  6,    1788,   died   in  June,    1856;  James,  born  January  25,    1790; 


146  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

Thomas;  Eli,  born  February  5,  1795,  died  April  4,  1857;  William, 
born  April  2,  1797,  died  February  i,  1837;  Sabina,  born  June  13,  1799; 
Samuel,  born  September  13,  1801,  died  September  12,  1836;  Nancy 
Paxton,  who  died  February  28,  1852. 

Thomas  Gilmore  served  in  the  war  of  181 2.  He  married  May  29, 
181 5,  Miss  Margaret  Leech,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1795,  daughter  of  John  Leech,  a  Virginia  farmer.  Grandfather 
Gihnore  moved  to  I'reble  county,  Ohio,  from  Virginia  in  1824,  some 
of  his  sons  accompanying  him.  He  took  along  a  few  slaves  that  he 
emancipated  after  they  reached  Ohio.  Previous  to  this,  in  181 7,  Thomas 
Gilmore  and  his  wife  moved  to  Kentucky  and  settled  on  lands  that  grand- 
father Leech  had  traded  his  Virginia  farm  for.  The  Kentucky  land, 
however,  proved  poor,  and  about  1824  Thomas  Gilmore  and  his  family 
left  it  and  went  up  into  Ohi.o,  joining  the  other  emigrants  there.  He 
emigrated  to  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  in  1836.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,i  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy  and  another, 
Martha,  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  in  Ohio.  Nine  sons  and  one 
daughter  reached  adult  age,  as  follows :  William  D.  Gilmore,  born  in 
Virginia,  May  26,  1816,  went  south  in  early  life,  and  died  shortly  after 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  leaving  no  children.  Thomas  L.  Gilmore, 
born  in  Kentucky,  February  16,  1818,  died  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  leaving  sons  and  daughters:  James  Mad- 
ison Gilmore,  born  in  Kentucky,  September  29,  1819,  died  in  that  state 
in  1852,  having  lost  wife  and  children  by  death;  John  Gilmore,  born  in 
Kentucky,  January  3,  1823,  is  now  living  retired  at  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
which  place  has  been  his  home  for  sixty-seven  years,  and  where  he  once 
filled  the  office  of  county  treasurer  and  served  in  other  official  capacities; 
Mary,  wife  of  Thomas  Leech,  was  born  in  Ohio,  August  8,  1825,  was 
the  mother  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are  deceased;  Samuel  B.  Gil- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


147 


more,  born  January  22,  1827,  is  now  a  retired  resident  of  East  St.  Louis, 
Illinois,  all  of  his  family  having  died  except  one  son  and  one  daughter; 
Andrew  H.  Gilmore,  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  near  Eaton, 
January  8,  1829;  Nathan  Gilmore,  born  December  26,  1830,  went  to 
California  at  an  early  day,  where  he  became  well  known  and  was  hon- 
ored with  a  seat  in  the  state  legislature.  He  died  at  Placerville,  Cali- 
fornia, in  1898,  leaving  his  estate  to  his  two  daughters;  Robert  Harvey 
Gilmore,  born  in  1833,  died  of  consumption,  in  1856,  in  Indiana,  where 
he  was  attending  college;  Sylvester  F.  Gilmore,  born  August  17,  1837, 
has  long  been  a  resident  of  Effingham,  Illinois,  where  he  has  filled  the 
office  of  judge.  He  has  been  twice  married  and  has  four  children. 
Margaret  (Leech)  Gilmore,  the  mother  of  the  above  named  family,  died 
January  24,  1866,  in  Indiana,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years;  and  the 
father,  Thomas  Gilmore,  survi\-ed  her  until  January  9,  1880,  when  his 
death  occurred  at  Effingham,  Illinois. 

Having  thus  briefly  referred  to  liis  ancestry,  we  turn  now  to  the  life 
of  Andrew  H.  Gilmore,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review.  As 
already  stated,  he  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio.  He  was  educated 
in  one  of  the  primitive  log  schoolhouses  of  Putnam  county,  Indiana. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  taught  his  first  of  two  terms  of 
school;  the  other  term  he  taught  after  his  return  from  California.  In 
1850  Mr.  Gilmore  made  the  "trip  of  his  life."  In  the  spring  of  that 
year  he  was  one  of  seven  young  men  who  set  out  for  California,  his 
brother  Nathan  being  of  the  number.  A  detailed  description  of  the 
experiences  of  these  young  men  as  they  traveled  across  the  country,  with 
two  ox  teams  drawn  by  seven  yoke  of  cattle,  over  rivers,  plains  and 
mountains ;  of  the  other  parties  that  joined  them  in  their  travel ;  of  their 
encounter  with  the  Indians,  and  the  many  interesting  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  journey,  would  make  a  large  volume.     Suffice  it  to  say 


148  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

that  they  arrived  after  weary  months  of  travel  at  PlacerviUe,  or 
"Hangtown,"  as  it  was  then  called,  in  California,  on  September  loth. 
Mr.  Gilmore  was  a  gold  miner  for  about  three  years  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  PlacerviUe  diggings.  In  December,  1853,  he  went  to  San  Francisco, 
took  a  steamer  for  home,  which  passed  down  the  western  coast  and 
crossed  to  the  eastern  waters  Ijy  the  way  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  thence  to 
New  York  and  by  cars  to  his  place  in  Indiana. 

Some  time  after  his  return  from  the  far  west,  JNIr.  Gilmore  was 
located  at  Greencastle,  from  which  place  he  came  to  Nebraska  in  1869, 
settling  first  in  Brownville,  at  that  time  the  county  seat  of  Nemaha  county, 
and  from  there  coming  to  Auburn,  in  1882.  He  was  the  founder  and 
proprietor  of  three  additions  to  the  town  of  Auburn,  has  built  three 
stores  and  seven  residences,  including  his  own  home  in  the  Gilmore 
Addition.  This  latter  he  has  recently  sold  and  expects  soon  to  erect  a 
handsomer  home.  In  1903  he,  with  two  others,  built  a  large  brick  block, 
one  hundred  and  ten  feet  by  seventy-five  feet,  which  is  now  occupied  by 
a  department  store  under  the  firm  name  of  "Gilmore,  Annstrong  & 
Company.  Under  the  firm  name  of  A.  H.  Gilmore  &  Sons  he  was  for 
a  number  of  years  engaged  in  merchandising. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gilmore  has  always  given  his  support  to  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  at  its  hands  has  been  the  recipient  of  official  honors. 
He  served  eight  years  as  county  treasurer  of  Nemaha  county  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  town  council  of  Brownville  and  school  board  of 
Brownville  and  of  Auburn. 

June  12,  1862,  he  married,  in  Atlanta,  Illinois,  Miss  Josephine 
Allen.  She  is  a  daughter  of  David  Allen,  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war, 
who  died  at  Buena  Vista,  Mexico,  in  1846,  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving 
his  widow  and  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Allen  was  by  maiden  name  Osea 
Ann  Dunham.     Some  time  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Allen  she  became  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  149 

wife  of  A.  W.  Morgan,  a  well  known  citizen  of  Indiana,  by  whom  she 
had  two  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gihnore  have  had  eight  children, 
three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  those  living  being  as  follows:  Albert  D., 
steward  at  the  Insane  Hospital  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  has  a  wife  and 
one  son;  Walter,  married  and  in  business  with  his  father;  Paul  A.,  also 
in  partnership  with  his  father,  is  married  and  has  two  sons ;  Eugene  A., 
professor  of  law  in  the  State  University  of  Wisconsin,  has  a  wife  and 
one  son;  and  Grace  Allen  Gilmore,  student  at  the  State  University  of 
Wisconsin. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Gilmore  has  long  been  identified  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  and  liis  family  are  worthy  members 
and  in  which  for  half  a  century  he  has  been  an  elder. 


CAPTAIN  ABSALOM  M.  ENOCH. 

Absalom  M.  Enoch  is  one  of  the  best  known  characters  of  Hum- 
boldt, Richardson  county,  \\here  he  has  made  his  residence  since  Thanks- 
giving day,  1869.  He  is  one  of  the  many  old  men  in  whom  the  health- 
ful, breezy  prairies  of  Nebraska  abounds,  and  whose  energies  and  vital 
resources  are  almost  unimpaired  till  the  final  summons  comes.  He  is 
approaching  the  eightieth  year  of  his  life,  and  his  active  decades  of  life 
have  been  well  spent  and  useful  to  himself  and  his  fellow  men.  He  is 
an  especial  favorite  with  everyone  in  Humbodlt,  and  there  is  not  a  man, 
woman  or  child  in  the  town  who  does  not  know  him  and  will  not  sin- 
cerely miss  him  when  he  is  gone  from  their  number. 

Mr.  Enoch  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio.  September  18,  1825. 
His  father,  Jacob  Enoch,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  pioneered  it  to 


ISO  ■        SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Ohio  and  settled  in  the  dense  timber.  He  followed  the  occupation  of 
hunter  and  trapper,  with  incidental  Indian  fighting.  He  was  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war  in  Illinois,  and  after  returning  to  Ohio  said  that  God 
had  cleared  the  timber  from  that  country  and  he  accordingly  moved  out 
to  the  prairie  state.  He  came  out  in  1835,  and  settled  eight  miles  east 
of  Rockford  and  six  miles  north  of  Belvidere,  where  he  pre-empted  and 
paid  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
He  continued  farming  until  1850,  when  he  crossed  the  plains  with  ox 
teams  to  California,  being  some  six  months  on  the  way,  and  died  in  that 
state  in  the  following  year,  being  buried  in  Hangtown,  now  Placerville. 
He  married  Mary  Maddox,  a  cousin  of  the  late  well  known  Wilson  Mad- 
dox,  of  Falls  City.  She  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  were  married  in 
1824,  their  first  child  being  Absalom;  the  second  was  Sarah,  who  died  in 
youth  in  Ohio ;  Mary  Jane  became  the  wife  of  Dennis  Clark,  of  Overton, 
Nebraska,  who  came  to  this  state  in  an  early  day,  and  they  have  three 
sons  and  one  daughter  living. 

Captain  Enoch  was  reared  in  Ohio  and  Illinois,  and  for  a  time 
farmed  the  home  place  in  Boone  county  of  the  latter  state,  and  then 
sold  it  and  bought  another  farm  near  Belvidere.  He  sold  this  in  1859 
and  went  to  Rochester,  Minnesota,  which  was  his  home  until  he  came 
to  Nebraska.  He  has  made  a  most  creditable  military  record.  He  en- 
listed for  the  Civil  war  and  was  made  captain  in  Company  F,  Ninth 
Minnesota  Infantry,  having  raised  that  company,  and  he  commanded  it 
throughout  the  war.  Part  of  his  service  was  against  the  Sioux  Indians, 
and  he  witnessed  the  hanging  of  thirty-nine  of  them  convicted  of  mur- 
der. He  was  wounded  during  the  Indian  outbreak,  and  still  carries  a 
bullet  in  his  right  lung.  He  also  saw  hard  fighting  in  the  south,  being 
present  at  the  engagements  at  Guntown  and  Tupello,  Mississippi,  at  the 
siege  of  Nashville,  and  in  various  minor  skirmishes.     He  was  in  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASK^A.  151 

Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  which  remained  behind  when  Sherman  made 
his  march  toward  the  sea.  Captain  Enoch's  subsequent  career  has  been 
mainly  concerned  with  farming  and  hotel-keeping,  and  for  twenty 
years  he  was  proprietor  of  the  Enoch  House  in  Humboldt,  but  is  now 
retired  from  active  pursuits  and  spending  the  evening  of  a  long  and 
useful  life  in  comfort  and  ease. 

Captain  Enoch  was  married  in  Boone  county,  Illinois,  January  i, 
1850,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Caulfield,  a  native  of  Ireland.  She  was  born 
in  1826,  and  died  in  the  home  at  Humbodlt,  in  1888,  being  without  issue. 
Captain  Enoch's  present  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Falls  City,  was  Miss 
Anna  Brickey,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Mary  (Brock)  Brickey.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  and  died 
in  York,  Illinois,  in  1878,  leaving  three  children:  Thomas,  whose  where- 
abouts are  not  known;  Mrs.  Enoch;  and  Cora  Brickey,  of  Kansas  City. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1880.  ]\Irs.  Enoch  had  only  a 
limited  education,  and  has  had  mainl)'  to  make  her  own  way  in  life, 
which  she  has  done  most  heroically  and  ably,  and  her  youthful  years 
and  energy  do  not  allow  her  to  remain  inactive  now  that  she  is  inde- 
pendent. She  is  a  most  competent  dressmaker,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
ladies  in  that  line  of  business  in  Humboldt.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  is  prominent  in  social  circles.  Captain  Enoch  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  served  as  police  judge  of  this  place  for  many 
years,  until  he  refused  to  serve  longer.  He  has  also  been  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  for  several  terms  was  on  the  city  council  and  chairman  of 
the  board.  He  was  baptized  in  the  Universalist  church.  He  is  still 
erect  and  sprightly  in  spite  of  his  years  and  work  in  his  own  behalf  and 
in  the  service  of  his  country. 


152  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

THOMAS  J.  STOCKMAN. 

Thomas  J.  Stockman,  who,  with  his  son  Samuel,  owns  and  conducts 
the  Adams  Hvery  and  sales  stables  and  is  land  agent  at  Adams,  Nebraska, 
has  lived  in  this  part  of  southeastern  Nebraska  for  o\-er  fifteen  years.  He 
has  displayed  executive  ability  and  good  management  in  his  business 
affairs,  and  as  a  man  and  citizen  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  friends  and 
associates.  He  became  acquainted,  mainly  in  his  capacity  as  a  soldier 
of  the  government  during  the  Civil  war,  with  the  territory  of  Nebraska 
as  it  was  forty  years  ago,  so  that  lie  may  be  considered  among  the  ranks 
of  the  old  settlers. 

I\Ir.  Stockman  was  born  near  Goshen,  Elkhart  county,  Indiana, 
April  28,  1838.  His  father,  Samuel  Stockman,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Elkhart  county,  having  come  from  Bedford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  a  family  of  German  stock.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Johnson,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  they  were  parents  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Two  daughters  and  one  son  live  in  Wisconsin,  and  another  son  is  in 
Adams,  Nebraska,  besides  Thomas.  Three  sons  were  in  the  Civil  war: 
T.  J. :  George,  who  was  first  lieutenant  in  the  Seventy-fourth  Indiana, 
and  died  in  1891  ;  and  John,  of  tlie  Eorty-eighth  Indiana  Infantry. 

Thomas  J.  Stockman  was  reared  and  educated  in  Indiana,  and  in 
boyhood  moved  to  a  farm  near  Warsaw,  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  came  west  to  the  territory  of  Nebraska,  and  in 
1863  enlisted  at  Omaha  in  Company  A,  First  Battalion  of  Nebraska 
Cavalry,  under  Captain  George  Armstrong.  He  was  stationed  on  the 
frontier  guarding  the  government  trains  and  settlers  from  hostile  Indians, 
and  the  troops  did  excellent  service  in  suppressing  the  depredations.  He 
was  at  Eort  Kearney  and  Plum  Creek  much  of  the  time.  While  arrest- 
ing parties  at  Camp  Douglas  he  was  struck  by  a  gun,  breaking  his  collar 
bone  and  otherwise  being  injured  so  that  he  was  crippled  for  two  years. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  153 

He  was  honorably  discliarged  at  Omaha,  and  then  returned  east.  He 
was  in  Indiana  until  1877,  when  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  for  the  fol- 
lowing ten  years  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Dunn  and  Barron  counties. 
He  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  in  1887,  ^"^1  later  bought  the  livery 
business  wdiich  he  and  his  son  are  now^  carrying  on  so  successfully.  They 
have  a  good  barn,  good  facilities,  and  their  patronage  is  large.  IMr. 
Stockman  is  also  agent  for  \\'isconsin  lands  in  Dunn,  Barron,  Polk  and 
Chippewa  counties,  and  has  some  fine  agricultural  lands  there,  which  are 
destined  to  reach  a  high  value  when  developed  and  improved.  He  is 
an  excellent  authority  on  real  estate  in  those  counties  because  of  his  long 
residence  there.  Mr.  Stockman  is  in  every  way  a  first-class  business 
man,  and  Iiis  reliability  and  integrity  have  never  been  questioned. 

In  1859  Mr.  Stockman  was  married  at  ^^'arsaw,  Indiana,  to  ]\Iary 
Jane  IMcKibben,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in  Indiana  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  IMcKibben,  of  Warsaw.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stockman :  Parthena  Burton,  of  Cameron,  \\'isconsin ; 
Tillie  Cook,  of  Cumberland,  Wisconsin:  Alice  Evans,  of  Adams,  Ne- 
braska; Samuel,  the  partner  of  his  father  in  the  livery  business;  E.  L., 
in  the  barber  business  at  Adams;  Frank;  and  Retta,  who  died  in  Wis- 
consin at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Mrs.  Stockman,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  a  beautiful  character  and  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
died  in  July,  1896. 

DANIEL   CONFER. 

Daniel  Confer,  a  well  known  farmer  and  popular  citizen  of  Adams 
township.  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  has  resided  here  since  1884.  He  is  a 
frank  and  genial  gentleman,  successful  in  business,  honored  and  esteemed 
at  home  and  abroad.     He  made  a  creditable  record  as  a  soldier  in  the 


154         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Civil  war,  and  since  retnrning  to  peaceful  pursuits  has  done  equally  well 
in  civil  life. 

Mr.  Confer  was  born  in  Hocking  county,  Ohio,  INIarch  3,  1838,  of 
a  family  noted  for  honesty,  industry  and  sobriety.  His  great-grandfather 
was  a  solider  in  the  Revolution.  His  grandfather,  Andrew,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father,  John  Confer,  was  born  in  Ohio,  was  a 
farmer  and  died  in  Wells  county,  Indiana.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
Jackson  type.  He  married  Miss  Eliza  Poling.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  church.  They  were  parents  of  fourteen  children, 
and  four  of  the  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war :  Daniel,  William,  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  First  Indiana  Infantry,  killed  at  Chickamauga, 
Peter,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-seventh  Indiana  Infantry  and  now 
living  in  Wells-  county,  Indiana,  and  Samuel. 

Air.  Confer  was  reared  on  a  farm  near  Bluffton,  Wells  county,  Indi- 
ana, was  taught  the  value  of  independent  labor  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools.  In  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Blufifton 
in  Company  A,  Thirty-fourth  Indiana  Infantry,  under  Captain  Swaim 
and  Colonel  Steele.  He  veteranized  in  February,  1863,  and  served  till 
the  end  of  the  war.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  for  forty-seven 
days,  until  the  stars  and  stripes  floated  over  the  fort  on  July  4,  1863; 
he  was  at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  and  under  General  Ord  for  some  time. 
His  regiment  was  then  ordered  to  Texas,  and  was  on  duty  there  until  the 
close  of  hostilities.  After  the  war  he  located  in  Wells  county,  Indiana, 
and  remained  there  until  he  came  west  in  1884. 

In  1864  ]Mr.  Confer  was  married  in  Wells  county,  Indiana,  to 'Miss 
]\Iary  L.  Robb,  who  has  been  a  noble  wife  and  mother  for  forty  years. 
She  was  born  in  Warren,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Nancy  Robb.  Her  brother.  Rev.  C.  O.  Robb,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war,  and  is  now  located  at  Pawnee  city,  Nebraska.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Con- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  155 

fer  have  six  children:  Charles,  John,  William,  Howard,  Orman,  and 
Martha  ]Morical,  of  Firth,  Nebraska.  Air.  Confer  is  a  stanch  Repnblican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Sergeant  Cox  Post  No.  100,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Adams, 
being  popnlar  among  his  old  army  comrades  as  with  all  his  fellow-  citizens 
and  associates.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  physique,  endowed  with  physical 
and  moral  courage  for  all  the  trials  of  life,  and  has  a  career  to  be 
proud  of,  Ijoth  in  Nebraska  and  wherever  has  has  had  residence.  He  and 
his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 


FRANK   W.    RIESENBERG. 

Frank  W.  Riesenberg,  an  enterprising  and  prosperous  agriculturist 
of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  owns  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  choice  land  in  Glen  Rock  precinct,  with  Auburn  as  his  posoffice 
and  on  rural  delivery  No.  i,  has  been  more  or  less  identified  with  Ne- 
braska agricultural  interests  since  1879,  when  he  came  to  this  state  and 
bought  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  the  southwestern  part,  which 
twenty  years  later  he  sold  without  profit  at  ten  dollars  an  acre.  He  was 
more  fortunate  when  he  decided  upon  Nemaha  county  as  his  location, 
and  on  August  27,  1896,  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
here,  paying  thirty  dollars  an  acre.  He  later  acquired  eighty  acres  at 
forty  dollars  an  acre,  and  his  present  estate  is  one  of  the  best  in  the 
entire  county.  He  has  a  two-story  frame  residence,  which  he  erected 
in  August,  1897,  and  he  keeps  two  tenants  on  the  place.  Each  year  he 
grows  about  one  hundred  acres  of  corn  and  fattens  a  hundred  head  of 
hogs,  besides  raising  other  live-stock,  and  has  one  hundred  acres  in 
pasture  and  timber. 

Mr.  Riesenberg  has  made  his  present  prosperous  condition  largely 


156  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

by  his  own  efforts.  He  was  blessed  with  a  meclianical  genius,  and  most 
of  his  hfe  has  been  spent  in  mechanical  pursuits.  He  has  made  many 
in-\-entions,  some  of  which  have  been  profitable  from  a  financial  stand- 
point as  well  as  useful  to  the  world  in  general,  and  from  these  sources 
he  has  made  the  beginning  of  his  prosperity  and  been  enabled  to  gain 
the  foothold  in  agricultural  interests  which  he  has  in  Nebraska.  He 
has  also  been  a  man  O'f  mark  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow  citizens  and 
has  always  displayed  sound  common  sense  and  a  high  degree  of  fairnes? 
in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Riesenberg  was  born  in  Peoria,  Illinois.  December  21,  1856. 
His  father,  Carl  Riesenberg,  was  born  in  the  Riesenberg  Mountains, 
Germany.  The  family  was  noble  in  its  connections.  He  was  by  profes- 
sion a  musician  aud  teacher,  and  later  in  life  was  a  merchant.  He  and 
his  family  left  Germany  to  locate  in  Brazil,  but  in  the  passage  they  were 
thrice  wrecked,  and  after  thirteen  weeks  arrived  in  New  York.  He  came 
to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  had  a  prosperous  career  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  retrieving  in  large  measure  his  early  losses.  He  died  in 
Peoria  at  the  age  of  about  fifty-six.  His  wife  was  Josephine  Ellsner, 
who  died  in  1896,  aged  seventy-three  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  all  born  in  Germany  but  two,  and  only  three  of  these  are 
now  living:  Mrs.  Mary  Erion,  a  widow,  of  Peoria,  with  six  children; 
Frank  W.,  and  William,  a  merchant. 

Frank  W.  Riesenberg  was  educated  in  the  high  school  at  Peoria, 
from  which  he  graduated  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Then  he  entered  the 
machine  shops  at  Peoria  and  served  three  years,  and  for  many  years 
worked  in  various  states  at  good  wages,  often  carrying  on  his  trade 
while  interested  in  farming.  He  has  been  successful  in  both  departments 
of  activity,  and  they  together  with  his  inventions  have  brought  him  a 
good  income  for  a  number  of  years. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  157 

In  1885  Mr.  Riesenberg  was  married  at  Bainbridge,  Nebraska, 
(now  known  as  Huntley),  to  Miss  Frances  Virginia  Peck,  who  was 
born  in  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  died  in  1897,  in  Auburn,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
tliree,  leaving  three  children,  namely :  Walter,  at  home  and  in  school : 
Ralph,  in  the  district  school ;  and  Frances,  aged  seven  years.  April  14, 
1898.  ]\Ir.  Riesenberg  married  Miss  Isabel  Tapping  Foster,  who  was 
born  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  January  8,  1872.  Her  parents,  Benjamin  F.  and 
Christiana  (Clark)  Foster,  were  both  born  in  Deal,  county  Kent,  England, 
on  April  14,  1829,  and  April  2,  1833,  respectively,  and  were  married  April 
30.  185'!,  and  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Benjamin 
Franklin  Foster,  born  in  1857,  died  in  Peoria,  in  1880,  unmarried; 
]\Iary  Amelia,  the  wife  of  John  Bryner,  of  Peoria,  is  a  ladv  of  much 
ability  and  especially  interested  in  the  International  Sunday-school  work ; 
Zilla.  the  wife  of  ]\Ioses  T.  Stevens,  of  St.  Louis  Missouri,  has  two  chil- 
dren ;  Edgar  Charles  Foster,  is  a  manufacturer  of  straw  board  in  Peoria ; 
Alfred  Lincoln  Foster,  born  January  2,  1866,  died  August  2,  1868; 
Amanda  Agnes  Foster  is  a  bookkeeper  and  accountant  in  Peoria ;  Mrs 
Riesenberg  is  the  seventh  of  the  famih'. 

^Irs.  Riesenberg  was  educated  in  the  high  schools  of  Peoria,  and 
was  a  successful  stenographer  before  her  marriage.  On  child  has  been 
born  to  her  and  her  husband,  which  happy  event  occurred  May  23,  1903, 
and  the  name  they  have  selected  for  this  beautiful  baby  boy  is  Benjamin 
Foster  Riesenberg.  He  is  a  great  favorite  in  the  family,  and  as  a  present 
for  his  first  Ijirthday  received  from  his  uncle  E.  C.  Foster  twenty-five 
shares  in  the  straw  board  factory.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riesenberg  are  liotli 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  has  always  advo- 
cated and  voted  for   Republican  principles. 


iS8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

JEREMIAH  MARLATT. 
Among  the  citizens  of  Brownville  to  whom  is  vouchsafed  an  honored 
retirement  from  labor,  as  the  reward  of  a  long,  active  and  useful  busi- 
ness career,  is  Jeremiah  Marlatt,  who  for  a  number  of  years  was  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  agricultural  and  mercantile  interests  of  Ne- 
maha county.  He  was  born  in  ^vlendon.  Monroe  county,  New  York,  on 
the  1st  of  June,  1S33,  in  which  state  his  father,  Mark  Marlatt,  also  had 
his  nativity.  The  latter  was  born  in  Schenectady,  in  1787,  and  was 
there  married  in  181 1  to  Dorothy  Frank,  who  was  born  there  in  1789, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Michael,  de- 
ceased, was  a  cooper  and  farmer  in  Lenawee  count)',  Michigan,  to 
which  place  he  removed  about  1867,  and  reared  two  sons;  Bffie,  who  was 
was  born  about  1816,  was  the  wife  of  John  Speer,  by  whom  she  had  three 
sons,  and  she  died  in  1904  in  New  York;  Andrew,  who  died  in 
Honeoye  Falls,  New  York,  was  a  prominent  agriculturist,  and  was  the 
father  of  one  son  and  four  daughters;  Maria,  who  became  the  wife  of 
a  Mr.  Morgan,  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  in  Mendon,  New 
York,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  one  son,  and  she  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  pass  away;  Daniel,  who  was  engaged  in  coopering  and 
farming  in  Lenawee  county,  to  which  state  he  remo\-ed  in  1836,  is  also 
deceased;  Alvah,  who  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  in  1853,  died 
there  in  1878;  John,  who  was  engaged  in  farming  in  New  York,  was 
killed  by  a  train  about  1896;  Martin,  also  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
in  that  state,  was  called  to  his  final  rest  about  1899 ;  Jeremiah ;  and  Fred- 
erick, who  is  a  farmer  near  Rockport,  IMissouri.  The  last  named  came 
to  the  west  in  1859.  and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  enlisted  from  Iowa 
in  the  artillery  service.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  taught  school  in 
Missouri,  and  was  there  married.  He  has  served  as  assessor  of  his  coun- 
ty, and  was  defeated  for  the  office  of  county  clerk  by  only  three  votes. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  159 

Mrs.  Dorothy  Rlarlatt  departed  this  Hfe  in  the  fall  of  1864,  on  the  old 
home  farm  in  Monroe  county,  and  there  the  father  passed  away  in  1872, 
when  eighty-five  years  of  age,  lea\ing  an  estate  valued  at  twenty  thous- 
and dollars.     The  parents  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

During  one  year  Jeremiah  Marlatt  was  a  student  in  Genesee  College 
at  Lima.  Xew  York,  and  during  the  winter  of  1854-5  he  was  employed 
as  a  teacher  in  IMissouri.  Forty-seven  years  ago,  in  1856,  he  came  to 
Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  pre-empted  a  farm  but  lost  his 
claim.  In  1862  he  became  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  located  two  and 
half  miles  southwest  of  Brownville,  the  purchase  price  being  nine  hun- 
dred dollars,  but  the  place  has  since  increased  in  value  until  it  is  now 
worth  five  thousand  dollars.  For  four  years,  from  1881  to  1885,  ]\Tr. 
Marlatt  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Aspinwall,  during  three 
years  of  which  time  business  was  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of 
Marlatt  &  King  and  for  one  year  he  was  alone,  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  sold  his  interest  on  account  of  poor  health. 

In  Brownville,  on  the  nth  of  January,  1857,  Mr.  Marlatt  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Ellen  Gulick,  the  widow  of  Lafayette  Gulick, 
a  native  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  there  their  marriage  was  also  celebrated, 
but  three  months  afterward  Mr.  Gulick  was  called  from  this  earth,  his 
death  resulting  from  an  accident  while  serving  in  the  position  of  a 
fireman.  ]\Irs.  Marlatt  is  the  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  (Crouch) 
W'estfall,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
Their  marriage  occurred  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  they  were  farming  peo- 
ple, and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children,  two  sons  and  six- 
daughters,  Mrs.  jMarlatt  being  the  youngest  in  order  of  birth  and  the 
only  one  now  living.  The  father  died  in  Ohio  in  1852.  when  sixty-four 
years  of  age.  Two  daughters  have  blessed  the  union  of  ]Mr.  ^larlatt  and 
wife:  Effie,  the  widow  of  William  Drain,  a  resident  of  Chapman,  Kan- 


i6o         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

sas,  and  the  mother  of  tliree  sons;  and  Sarah  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Frank 
M.  King,  of  Holton,  Kansas,  and  they  have  one  son  and  two  daughters. 
Both  daughters  were  educated  in  Brownville  and  Peru.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs. 
[Nlarlatt  are  justly  proud  of  their  two  granddaughters,  who  are  proficient 
in  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  and  also  of  their  grandson,  Clyde 
F.  King,  who  is  now  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  a  member  of  the  legal 
profession.  During  the  past  twenty  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marlatt  have 
spent  much  of  their  time  in  traveling,  having  visited  the  Dakotas,  the  Hot 
Springs,  Deadwood,  Lead  City,  Idaho  Springs,  Clear  Creek,  Manitou 
Springs,  and  many  other  places  of  interest.  In  this  county,  where  they 
have  so  long  resided,  they  are  lield  in  the  highest  regard  by  their  innum- 
erable friends. 


DANIEL  D.  DAVIS. 

Daniel  D.  Davis,  one  of  the  leading  agrictilturists  and  stockraisers 
of  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  was  born  in  Carmarthenshire,  Wales,  on 
the  Jist  of  July,  1833,  and  in  that  country  his  grandfather,  Daniel 
Davis,  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  a  large  land-owner.  He  became  the 
father  of  nine  children,  five  daughters  and  four  sons,  all  of  whom  mar- 
ried, and  one  daughter,  Hannah,  married  Thomas  McLea,  a  Frenchman, 
and  she  is  still  living  in  Paris,  France,  aged  ninety-three  years.  She  is 
also  very  wealthy.  David  Davis,  the  father  of  Daniel  D.,  was  born  in 
a  shire  adjoining  that  of  Carmarthen,  the  birthplace  of  his  son,  and  for 
twenty-one  years  served  as  the  county  clerk.  He  was  a  teacher  and 
busin.ess  man  and  wedded  Maria  Daniels,  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
the  daughter  being  Dina,  who  became  the  wife  of  Da\id  Jones,  to  whom 
she  was  married  in  Australia.  He  was  a  master  mechanic,  engaged  in 
erecting  hea\y  mining  machinery,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKL-i.  i6i 

cliikiven,  all  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  inaturity  and  are  now  living  in 
Pennsylvania.  Both  our  subject  and  his  sister  recei\'ed  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages  in  their  youth,  as  their  father  was  a  college-bred  man 
and  one  of  the  best  scholars  in  his  county.  His  death  occurred  in  Janu- 
ary, 1880,  at  the  old  home  in  \\'ajes,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  and  he  left  to  his  wife  and  children  a  good  estate. 
His  widow  survived  until  1896,  when  she  too  passed  away  at  the  old 
family  home  and  also  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1854,  Daniel  D.  Da\is  married  Rachel  Davis, 
who,  although  of  the  same  name,  was  not  a  relative,  and  she  was  born 
in  England,  June  4,  1828,  the  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  Davis,  who 
were  farming  people  and  were  the  parents  of  eight  children.  In  1856, 
two  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Da\-is,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  her 
mother,  three  brothers  and  four  sisters,  embarked  on  the  vessel  John 
Bright  for  America,  sailing  from  Liverpool  on  the  27th  of  May,  and  on 
the  3d  of  July  following  landed  at  New  York.  Making  his  way  to  Wis- 
consin, Mr.  Davis  purchased  eight}-  acres  of  land  in  Iowa  county,  for 
which  he  paid  five  dollars  an  acre,  and  for  eight  years  made  his  home  in 
Dodgeville,  engaged  in  speculating  and  buying  stock.  Selling  his  pos- 
sessions there  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  came  to  Nemaha  county, 
Nebraska,,  making  the  trip  with  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  one  large  covered 
wagon,  eighteen  days  being  consumed  on  the  journey,  including  three 
days  spent  in  Omaha,  and  they  arrived  at  their  destination  on  the  30th 
of  June,  1863.  Mr.  Davis  had  previously  visited  Nemaha  county  in 
search  of  a  location,  and  after  his  second  arrival  here  secured  one  hundred 
acres  of  land  at  Barada,  Richardson  county,  the  purchase  price  being 
about  three  hundred  dollars,  but  two  years  later  he  sold  that  land  at  a 
good  profit  and  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Aspinwall,  his  first  purchase 
here  being  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  five  hundred  dollars. 


i62  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Before  two  years  had  passed  by,  however,  he  had  added  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  to  his  original  purchase,  the  latter  being  in  its  primitive  state 
and  costing  sixteen  hundred  dollars.  Tn  1892  he  became  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres,  the  purchase  price  being  thirty-five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  he  also  has  eighty  acres  lying  a  short  distance  west  of 
this  tract  and  twenty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Glen  Rock,  while  in  addition 
he  has  a  timber  tract  of  thirty-five  acres.  Throughout  the  period  of  his 
residence  here  Mr.  Davis  has  been  engaged  in  both  agriculture  and  stock- 
raising,  about  two  hundred  acres  of  his  place  being  devoted  to  corn, 
and  be  annually  raises  about  one  hundred  tons  of  hay.  He  has  a  fine 
grade  of  shorthorn  cattle,  with  registered  males,  feeding  from  fifty  to 
eighty  head  annually,  his  markets  being  at  Chicago  and  Kansas  City, 
and  he  also  raises  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  hogs  a 
year,  principally  of  the  Poland  China  breed.  Many  buildings  adorn  this 
I'aluable  estate,  and  he  erected  both  his  barn  and  house,  the  former  being 
forty  by  forty  feet  and  forty  feet  high,  while  the  latter,  which  took  the 
place  of  a  box  house,  is  a  substantial  frame  dwelling  erected  thirty-two 
years  ago.  This  farm  also  contains  two  large  orchards,  of  five  acres 
each,  which  yield  an  abundance  of  fruit  in  season. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  ]\lrs.  Davis  was  blessed  with  nine  children, 
as  follows :  David,  who  resides  with  his  father  on  the  home  farm ; 
Thomas,  also  at  home;  Mary  Davis,  who  is  acting  as  her  father's  house- 
keeper: Benjamin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years;  George, 
who  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-six  years ; 
John,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  and  died  there  when  one  and  a  half 
years  old;  Albert,  who  died  in  this  county  at  the  same  age;  !Maria, 
deceased  in  infancy;  and  Jonathan,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1863, 
and  his  death  occurred  in  this  county  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years, 
leaving  one  son.      Mrs.   Davis  passed  away   in  death  on   the  30th   of 


JOSIAH   GILLILAND 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  163 

July,  1890,  aged  seventy-two  and  a  half  years  and  twenty-six  days. 
She  was  a  faithful  Christian  woman,  a  devoted  wife  and  loving  mother, 
and  her  loss  was  deeply  felt  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  her  acquain- 
tance. In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Davis  is  a  Republican,  and  foi 
about  twenty  years  he  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  while  for  two 
years  he  held  the  position  of  assessor.  Although  having  reached  the 
age  of  three  score  3'ears  and  ten.  he  is  yet  vigorous  and  active,  and  is  now 
spending  the  evening  of  a  useful  life  at  his  pleasant  farm  home. 


JOSIAH  GILLILAND. 

Josiah  Gilliland,  a  retired  farmer  of  South  Auburn,  has  become 
well  known  through  his  connection  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Nemaha  county.  He  had  led  a  thrifty  and  industrious  life,  has  made  by 
his  own  efforts  all  that  he  has  in  the  way  of  worldly  possessions,  and 
wherever  he  has  been  called  to  touch  the  public  life  of  the  community 
he  has  performed  a  public-spirited  part  both  as  a  man  and  as  a  citizen. 

Mr.  Gilliland  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  September  17, 
1834.  His  grandfather  was  a  Virginia  farmer,  and  reared  two  sons  and 
two  daughters.  One  of  the  sons  was  Jesse  Gilliland,  who  was  born  in 
old  Virginia  in  1812,  and  died  in  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  when  about 
seventy-five  years  old.  He  was  a  farmer  in  fair  circumstances,  and 
gave  his  children  such  advantages  as  were  afforded  in  the  community. 
His  wife,  who  survived  him  several  years,  was  Margaret  Douglas,  a 
relative  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  of  Scotch  ancestry.  Her  father 
was  one  hundred  and  eight  years  old  when  he  died  in  Belmont;  or  Guern- 
sey county,  Ohio.  The  following  children  of  Jesse  Gilliland  and  his 
wife  are  now  living;  James,  a  blacksmith  and  farmer  in  Morgan  county, 


i64  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Ohio;  Jesse  Morgan,  a  farmer  and  carpenter  in  Ohio,  with  six  children; 
Ellen,  who  has  three  children ;  Josiah ;  and  John,  a  farmer  in  Schuyler 
county,  Missouri,  and  now  living  with  his  third  wife.  The  following 
children  are  deceased:  Elizabeth  Batie,  who  died  in  Belmont  county, 
Ohio,  leaving  a  family;  Ruth  Foreman,  who  died  in  Guernsey  county, 
Ohio,  leaving  children;  and  Sarah  Ann  Hill,  who  died  in  Morgan 
county,  Ohio. 

Josiah  Gilliland  moved  with  his  father  to  Morgan  county,  Ohio, 
when  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  lived  there  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-two.  He  was  then  in  Iowa  for  a  short  time,  and  from  there 
went  to  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  married.  He  lived  in  Mis- 
souri until  1876,  at  which  date  he  came  to  Nebraska,  where  he  has  been 
industriously  and  profitably  engaged  in  farming  until  recently.  He 
bought  his  good  home  in  South  Auburn  in  June,  1903,  and  is  most 
comfortably  situated  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  years.  While  now 
in  his  seventieth  year,  his  capacity  for  work  is  hardly  diminished,  and 
he  contemplates  engaging  in  some  business.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
was  a  member  of  the  home  militia  and  also  enlisted  from  Atchison 
county  in  Company  I,  Forty-third  Missouri,  serving  for  one  year. 
While  he  was  away  his  wife  received  an  inheritance  of  four  hundred 
dollars,  and  this  is  the  only  money  which  he  cannot  say  he  has  made  by 
his  own  efforts  and  honest  industry. 

Mr.  Gilliland  was  married  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Dalitha 
Maxwell,  who  died  in  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  in  1866,  aged  twenty- 
four  years,  leaving  three  children :  William  A.  is  a  farmer  and  land 
agent  in  Jackson  county,  Kansas,  and  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters; 
Margaret  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  H.  G.  Rhodes,  in  Nemaha  county,  and 
has  four  children;  and  Alida  is  the  wife  of  Andy  Spear,  of  Jackson 
county,  Kansas,  and  has  four  children.     Mr.  Gilliland  was  married  on 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  165 

March  4,  1867,  to  Miss  Carrie  Coleman,  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  and 
a  daughter  of  Elisha  and  Lola  (Scott)  Coleman,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
in  Andrew  county  in  1901,  leaving  four  children,  but  the  latter  is  Still 
living  on  the  Missouri  homestead. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilliland  have  had  ten  children :  Elisha  is  a  farmer 
in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter;  Lola 
Virdie  is  thei  wife  of  S.  Keister,  and  has  two  children  living;  Harry  is  a 
farmer  in  Nemaha  county,  and  has  a  wife;  Samuel,  married,  is  on  the 
home  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres;  one  son  died  in  infancy; 
Ernest,  single,  is  also  on  the  home  farm :  Mary  and  Clara  both  died  of 
diphtheria,  aged  respectively  thirteen  and  ten;  Louisa  is  aged  fourteen; 
and  Edith  is  a  bright  Miss  of  ten.  Mr.  Gilliland  is  now  a  Populist, 
having  been  formerly  a  Republican.  The  only  office  he  has  consented  to 
hold  has  been  that  of  school  director.  He  is  taking  the  initiatory 
degrees  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Rochester,  ]\Iissouri.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  an 
elder,  and  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  building  of  a  church  on  his  farm, 
contributing  liberally  of  time  and  money. 


HENRY  A.  SCOTT. 

Henry  A.  Scott,  the  well  known  retired  merchant  and  business  man 
of  Humboldt,  Nebraska,  has  taken  a  proniinent  and  influential  part  in 
business  and  public  affairs  in  Richardson  county  for  the  past  thirty- 
seven  years,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Humboldt  for  thirty 
years.  His  career  has  been  one  of  wide  scope  and  varied  in  its  useful 
activities,  and  he  and  his  estimable  wife  have  probably  enjoyed  as  deep 
draughts  of  wholesome  and  happy  living  as  any  other  two  people  in 


i66  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

the  county.  While  pursuing  ways  of  pease  and  pleasantness  themselves, 
they  have  by  no  means  been  selfish  in  their  aims  or  neglected  the  welfare 
of  others,  and  their  public-spirited  and  kind-hearted  interest  and  efforts 
have  manifested  themselves  in  many  ways  for  the  beterment  of  the  insti- 
tutions and  material  progress  of  their  community  and  city  and  county. 

I\Ir.  Scott  is  of  Puritan  lineage  on  both  sides  of  the  house,  and 
comes  of  a  family  known  and  honored  in  America  for  many  generations. 
He  was  born  in  old  Hatfield,  Hampshire  county,  Massachusetts,  January 
I,  1844.  His  grandfather  was  Thaddeus  Scott,  a  farmer  of  old  Hat- 
field. He  married  a  Miss  Doty,  a  descendant  of  Plymouth  settlers,  and 
they  reared  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  daughters  married  and 
liaU  small  families,  and  the  sons  are  as  follows :  Gad  Scoti,  a  farmer, 
went  to  Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  in  1856,  and  died  at  ad\-anced  age,  having 
been  married  twice  but  with  no  children ;  James  dietl  on  the  home  place 
at  old  Hatfield  when  an  old  man,  leaving  no  children ;  Alpheus  and 
Lebeus  were  twins,  the  former  being  the  father  of  ]\Ir.  Henry  Scott. 
Lebeus  was  a  prominent  character  in  Massachusetts.  He  was  a  teacher 
and  school  superintendent,  was  an  express  messenger  many  years,  was 
warden  of  the  prison  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  and  was  popular  with 
all  parties  and  classes.  He  was  an  orthodox  Congregationalist,  which 
has  been  the  religion  of  all  the  family.  He  married  but  had  no 
children. 

Alpheus  Scott  was  born  in  the  old  home  in  October,  1824,  and  died 
in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  in  1876.  In  young  manhood  he  mar- 
ried Julia  Russell,  who  was  born  in  the  same  part  of  Massachusetts  in 
1828,  a  daughter  of  Charles  Russell,  a  farmer.  Their  first  child  was 
Henry  A.  The  second  was  Charles,  who  was  born  in  Lorain  county, 
Ohio,  and  was  accidentally  killed  in  a  saw-mill  in  Oregon,  leaving  a  wife, 
one  son  and  two  daughters.     The  third  child  is  I\Iary,  wife  of  David 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  167 

Weaver,  of  Boswell,  Indiana,  and  has  two  sons;  Annie,  wife  of  Barton 
Hued,  of  Waterloo,  Iowa,  lias  a  large  family;  Thaddeus,  unmarried,  is 
in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa;  Edward  died  at  Epworth,  Iowa,  in  middle 
life,  leaving  a  wife  and  four  children;  Alpheus,  unmarried,  is  in  the 
state  of  Washington ;  Lizzie  Martin  died  in  Humboldt.  Nebraska,  in 
young  womanhood,  leaving  one  son ;  James  is  married  and  lives  in  Wat- 
erloo, Iowa;  Hattie  Bremer  lives  in  Seattle,  Washington;  Jessie  Haskins 
is  in  Tekoa,  Washington,  and  has  three  children.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  at  Hebron,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two. 

Alpheus  Scott  was  not  a  money-getter,  but  always  lived  well,  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  genial,  wholesouled  people,  with  hosts  of  friends, 
and  ^\■ere  strong  Congregationalists.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Berea  Col- 
lege, studied  law  under  Judge  Striker  at  Sandusky,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Iowa.  He  taught  school  while  preparing  for  his  profession. 
He  left  Erie  county.  Ohio,  in  1852.  and  moved  to  Clayton  county,  Iowa, 
settling  on  a  claim  of  forty  acres,  paying  the  regular  price  of  a  dollar 
and  a  quarter  per  acre.  This  was  bare  prairie,  with  the  nearest  neighbor 
two  miles  and  a  half  away,  and  he  began  b}'  building  a  round-log  house 
of  two  rooms,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  lived  three  years.  He  then  became 
one  of  the  two  founders  of  the  town  of  Stra\\berry  Point  in  the  same 
county.  He  was  engaged  in  law  practice  there  for  several  years,  and 
was  one  of  the  brainy  and  clear-headed  memljers  of  the  first  constitu- 
tional convention  of  the  state.  The  law  firm  was  Murdock  and  Scott 
for  two  years.  He  also  served  as  prosecuting  attorney  and  county  judge. 
He  was  a  ready  and  rapid  speaker,  with  quick  wit  and  ability  at  repartee 
and  dcliate,  and  could  make  a  S])eech  on  any  and  every  occasion.  He  was 
popular  as  an  auctioneer,  and  in  pleading  before  a  jury  he  was  tireless 
and  earnest  and  con\incing.     He  was  a  successful  man.  and  was  helped 


1 68  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

inucli  by  his  industrious  and  sympathetic  wife,  who  was  at  all   times 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  her  family. 

Henry  A.  Scott  had  a  limited  education  in  the  public  schools,  and 
rather  took  to  work  and  sport  in  his  youth.  In  April,  1861,  he  volun- 
teered in  the  cause  of  his  country,  enlisting  in  Company  C,  Third  Iowa 
Infantry.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  throughout  the  western 
campaigns,  and  after  three  years  veteranized  in  the  same  company  and 
regiment.  In  Sherman's  campaign  about  Meridian  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner, and  endured  incarceration  in  southern  prisons  at  Cahaba.  Alabama, 
Andersonville,  Georgia,  and  Florence,  South  Carolina,  from  February 
27,  1864,  until  he  signed  his  parole  March  4,  1865.  He  participated  in 
the  grand  review  on  Pennsylvania  avenue  in  Washington  in  1865,  and 
again  in  1903  as  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  delegation  of  Grand  Army 
veterans.  After  the  war.  in  May,  1867,  Mr.  Scott  came  to  Nebraska 
and  homesteaded  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Franklin 
township,  Richardson  county,  and  farmed  the  land  for  several  years  and 
still  keeps  it  under  tenancy.  He  mo\-ed  into  Humboldt  in  1874,  and  this 
has  been  his  home  and  center  of  activity  ever  since.  For  about  twelve 
years  he  was  a  salesman  in  the.  hardware  and  implement  house  of  F.  W. 
Samuelson,  and  he  then  opened  up  a  business  in  the  same  line  under  the 
firm  name  of  Scott  and  Skalak,  which  partnership  continued  most  suc- 
cessfully for  fifteen  years,  after  which  Mr.  Scott  withdrew  from  active 
participation  in  business  affairs  and  has  since  been  taking  things  rather 
easily.  For  the  last  few  years  he  has  been  traveling  considerably,  and  he 
and  his  wife  have  enjoyed  many  of  the  fruits  of  their  years  of  thrift 
and  good  management.  He  was  not  enjoying  good  health  when  he  left 
business,  but  his  subsequent  free  activity  has  almost  completely  rejuven- 
ated him.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  to  the  Pacific  coast  twice,  having 
traveled  the  entire  length  of  the  coast  down  to  old  Mexico,  and  they 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  169 

also  spent  one  winter  in  Florida.  They  reside  in  one  of  the  pleasant 
homes  of  Humboldt,  having  erected  it  some  five  years  ago,  and  he  also 
owns  a  fine  brick  business  block  besides  other  residence  property. 

September  22,  1868,  ]\Ir.  Scott  was  married  in  his  present  precinct 
to  Aliss  Margaret  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Licking  county,  Ohio,  in 
October,  1849,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sophronia  (Payne)  Smith. 
Her  father  was  a  blacksmith  in  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  old  age,  and  his 
widow  died  at  Blue  Springs,  Nebraska,  in  December,  1903,  in  the 
eighty-first  year  of  her  age.  Mrs.  Scott  is  one  of  seven  living  children, 
two  brothers  and  four  sisters.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Scott's  only  son  and  chilct 
is  Aretas,  one  of  the  leading  dentists  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Lionberger.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Humboldt  high  school 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  then  took  a  course  at  the  State  University  at 
Lincoln,  and  graduated  from  the  Gem  City  Business  College  at  Quincy, 
Illinois.  The  head  of  the  latter  school,  D.  1\L  ]\Iusselman,  gave  him  a 
certificate  graded  at  97,  one  of  the  very  highest  marks,  for  he  never  gave 
higher  than  98.  Dr.  Scott  is  a  young  man  of  much  talent  in  various 
lines.  He  graduated  with  high  standing  from  the  Kansas  City  Dental 
College,  and  has  since  built  up  a  fine  practice  in  St.  Joseph.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Dental  Association  in  St.  Joseph.  He  is  a  Master  ]\Iason, 
a  Modern  Woodman,  and  is  a  stanch  Republican. 

Mr.  Scott  has  been  a  Republican  for  many  years.  He  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
affiliates  with  Humboldt  Lodge  No.  40,  Ancient  I^ree  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  W'orkmen.  He  has 
served  as  constable  and  is  widely  and  favorably  known  is  the  county 
and  state.  He  has  taken  an  interested  part  in  the  campaigns  for  the  past 
few  years.     Mrs.  Scott  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


I70  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

CLARENCE  E.  ORD. 

Clarence  E.  Ord,  one  of  the  respected  farmers  of  Douglas  precinct, 
Nemaha  count)'.  Nebraska,  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  born  May  19, 
1858.  The  Ords  are  of  English  origin.  Joseph  E.  Ord.  the  father  of 
Clarence  E.,  was  born  in  Durhamshire,  England,  July  15,  1830,  and  his 
father,  Robert  Ord,  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  in  1795,  son  of  George  Ord, 
a  freeholder,  farmer  and  preacher  and  the  author  of  a  poem  entitled 
"Spiritual  Portrait."  Robert  Ord  married  Jane  Elizabeth  Laidler.  With 
their  three  children,  they  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1832,  embarking 
at  Liverpool  and  landing  in  New  York  city,  May  8,  after  an  ocean 
voyage  of  eight  weeks.  Of  their  children,  we  record  that  Christopher 
entered  the  arm}'  during  the  Civil  war.  with  the  rank  of  corporal,  and 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Resaca,  in  the  prime  of  life.  lie  left  a  widow, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  second  child  of  Robert  Ord  was  a 
daughter  who  became  the  wife  of  Perriander  Fish.  Both  died  some  years 
ago  in  Brooklyn,  Ohio,  leaving  three  daughters  and  a  son.  Joseph  E. 
Ord,  the  youngest  of  the  family,  was  six  years  old  at  the  time  of  their 
emigration  to  America.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools  of  New  York,  Ohio  and  Wisconsin,  and  he  married.  .Vpril  8, 
1857,  in  Berea,  Ohio,  Miss  Marie  Reeder,  a  native  of  Chautauqua  county. 
New  York,  born  December  8,  1825,  daughter  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Reeder, 
a  Methodist  minister,  who  was  born  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania, 
April  14,  1789,  married  March  9,  1821,  and  died  August  10,  1838. 
Her  mother  was  before  marriage  Miss  Orra  Colt.  In  the  Reeder  family 
were  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  reached  adult  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reeder  died  in  Berea,  Ohio,  he  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years,  and  she 
at  fifty-two.  Joseph  E.  and  Maria  Ord  were  married  April  8.  1857,  and 
had  five  children,  Clarence  E.  being  the  oldest.     The  others  in  order  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  171 

birth  are:  Joseph  Franklin,  at  this  writing  in  Alaska;  Emma,  who  died 
June  9,  1894,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Evan- 
ston  (IlHnois)  University,  and  for  some  time  a  teacher  of  elocution  in 
the  Weslyn  University  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  Annie,  wife  of  Charles 
Partridge,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  has  two  daughters;  Esther  Myrtle,  wife 
of  Professor  Duncanson,  a  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Peru, 
Nebraska.  Joseph  E.  Ord  has  prospered  in  his  efforts  to  accumulate  a 
competency  and  at  the  same  time  educate  and  provide  for  his  family- 
Though  iie  has  met  with  losses,  he  now  has  a  fine  landed  estate,  including 
over  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Nebraska  and  other  lands  in  Kansas. 
And  his  cliildren  are  all  well  to  do.  His  aged  father  died  at  his  home 
in  Nebraska  January  28,    1875. 

Clarence  E.  Ord  was  reared  a  farmer  boy  and  received  a  common 
and  normal  school  education,  graduating  at  the  Nebraska  State  Normal 
School  in  1882,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teaching  and  taught  five  terms 
of  school  in  Nemaha  county.  One  of  the  first  schools  in  Auburn  was 
taught  by  him. 

March  31,  1891,  Clarence  E.  Ord  married  Miss  Clara  Richards,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of  J.  S.  and  Louisa  (Daigh)  Rich- 
ards. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards  were  natives  respectively  of  Virginia  and 
Illinois,  were  married  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  subsecpiently  settled 
in  Wisconsin.  Mrs.  Ord  was  educated  in  Springfield,  and  in  Peru, 
?\cbraska,  and  previous  to  her  marriage  was  a  teacher  in  Nemaha  county. 
Their  happy  union  has  been  Ijlessed  in  the  birth  of  two  children,  namely; 
Gladys  Ord  Ord,  born  February  26,  1S92,  and  Esther  Lucile,  July  11, 
1894. 

On  their  wedding  day  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Ord  settled  in  their  present 
home,  he  having  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  erected 
a  residence,  to  which  he  took  his  bride  as  soon  as  thev  were  married,  he 


172  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

being  then  thirty-three  and  she  twenty-seven  years  of  age;  and  here  they 
lia\e  since  hved  and  prospered.  Mr.  Ord  has  a  nice  orchard  and  pleasant 
surroundings  at  his  country  home.  He  does  general  farming,  raising 
a  variety  of  crops,  and  has  some  high-grade  stock. 

Politically  Mr.  Ord  is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
boa'-i.  of  county  commissioners  since  January,  1901.  He  and  his  wife 
and  children  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


EDWARD  J.  TUCKER. 

Edward  J.  Tucker,  the  prominent  business  man  of  Howe,  Nemaha 
county,  Nebraska,  has  lived  in  southeastern  Nebraska  for  over  forty 
years,  practically  all  his  life,  and,  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  state  for  the 
greater  part  of  its  sovereign  existence  as  well,  has  performed  a  credit- 
able part  in  its  business  life  and  prosperity.  He  began  life  with  only 
good  schooling  advantages  as  capital,  but  has  made  such  excellent  use  of 
his  opportunities  that  he  has  found  no  reason  to  chide  fate  or  cast  any 
imputations  upon  fickle  fortune  for  his  position  in  the  world.  He  is  a 
shrewd,  jsractical  business  man,  devoted  to  home  and  family  and  the 
things  of  the  higher  life,  interested  in  the  civic  and  material  progress  of 
his  county  and  town,  and  while  working  for  his  individual  welfare  at  the 
same  time  not  infringing  on  the  rights  of  others  and  willing  to  put  his 
hand  to  any  public-spirited  enterprise. 

Mr.  Tucker's  grandfather,  James  H.  Tucker,  was  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1S12,  and  died  in  1863,  while  his  wife  survived  until  1883,  and 
they  reared  all  their  four  sons  and  three  daugliters.  Christopher  Tucker, 
the  father  of  Edward  J.  Tucker,  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
February  9,    1835,  was  taken  to  southern   Illinois  about    1845,   thence 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  173 

to  nortliern  Iowa  in  1849,  ^"d  from  tliere  came  to  Nemaha  county,  Ne- 
braska, in  i860.  He  was  married  in  ]\Iason  City,  Iowa,  in  1856,  to  ]\Iiss 
Martha  Parker,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  November  27,  1836,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ellis  Parker,  who  was  a  farmer  and  in  the  public  life  of  Hardin 
county,  Iowa,  for  about  forty  years,  being  county  judge  for  a  number 
of  years.  His  two  sons  and  two  daughters  were :  Frank  Parker,  a  farmer 
in  the  state  of  Washington ;  Martha,  wife  of  Christopher  Tucker;  Hiram 
Parker,  a  mason  of  Boonesboro,  Iowa;  and  Mary,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Robb,  of  Eldora,  Iowa.  Christopher  and  Martha  Tucker  were  farmers 
in  Cerro  Gordo  county,  Iowa,  for  a  few  years,  and  then  drove  to  Ne- 
brasl-a,  crossing  the  Missouri  on  a  flatboat,  and  began  their  career  on  a 
wild  ])rairie  farm  on  a  treeless  stretch,  which  no  effort  of  the  imagination 
could  picture  as  otherwise  than  gloomy.  They  prospered  in  the  state, 
however,  and  were  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  their  community.  He  died 
in  Page  county,  Iowa,  in  1901,  but  his  widow  is  still  living.  They  had 
four  children :  Lucretia,  the  wife  of  W.  E.  Irwin,  died  November  4, 
1902,  in  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  leaving  her  husband  and  one  son;  Edward  J. 
Tucker;  Ellis  Tucker  is  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Shenandoah,  and  is  a 
widower  with  no  children;  May  is  the  wife  of  H.  I.  Foskett,  a  banker 
of  Shanandoah,  and  has  three  children. 

Edward  J.  Tucker  was  born  in  Cerro  Gordo  county,  Iowa,  January 
10,  1859,  and  arrived  in  Nemaha  county,  November  i,  i860,  with  his 
parents.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-two,  attending  the  district  schools  and  the  State  Normal 
for  two  years.  He  then  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Chatfield  and  Tucker, 
engaged  in  merchandising,  general  goods,  in  Howe  for  eighteen  months, 
and  since  then,  for  twenty  years,  has  been  manager  of  the  Howe  Lumber 
Company,  whose  members  are  himself  and  H.  R.  Howe.  Ecr  the  same 
period  of  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  grain-buying,  shipping  from  three 


i 


174  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

hundred  to  six  hundred  cars  each  year  from  Ho\\e  \vliich  has  made  this 
the  banner  grain-shipping  station  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad.  In 
1883  Mr.  Tucker  also  began  conducting  the  farm  implement  business 
of  Robert  Teare,  but  since  the  first  year  has  carried  it  on  for  himself, 
and  now  has  the  largest  stock  of  such  goods  in  the  county.  He  has  been 
successful  in  all  these  enterprises,  and  his  extensive  connections  place  him 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  business  men  of  the  county.  He  owns  one  half 
of  a  brick  business  block,  and  also  his  own  cosy  home  in  the  village. 

December  29,  1885,  Mr.  Tucker  was  married  to  Miss  Kate  Scott, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Tom  and  IMary  (Hughes)  Scott. 
Tom  Scott  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  a  printer  by  trade,  for  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life  being  engaged  in  the  government  printing 
office  at  Washington.  He  died  in  the  prime  of  his  life  in  1875,  in 
Indiana,  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  died  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  They  lost  two  sons  in  childhood,  and  their  daughter  Anna 
died  in  young  womanhood.  ]\Irs.  Tucker  was  educated  in  science  and 
music  in  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker's  only  child, 
Clarence  Christopher,  was  born  May  y.  1892,  and  is  an  apt  student, 
learning  to  spell  and  read  by  spelling  out  the  names  of  the  five  daily  and 
weekly  papers  which  his  father  takes.  Mr.  Tucker  takes  much  pleasure 
in  his  well  selected  library,  which  comprises  the  best  works  in  history, 
biography  and  poetry. 

Mr.  Tucker  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  no  time  to  devote  to 
party  affairs  other  than  keeping  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  national 
and  local  importance.  He  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  in  which  he  has  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  with  the  Knight? 
of  Pythias.  His  father,  who  served  for  eighteen  months  in  the  Civil 
war,  where  he  contracted  the  chronic  disease  which  ended  in  his  death, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  175 

was  a   Rupulilican  in  politics  and  a  prominent  member  of  tlie  Grand 
Army  of  tiie  Republic,  and  also  a  ^Master  Mason. 


FRED  PARKER. 

Fred  Parker  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  farmers  and  stockmen 
of  Washington  precinct,  Nemaha  comity,  his  farm  being  located  on 
sections  4.  5  and  13,  and  with  his  postoffice  at  Johnson.  He  arrived 
in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  in  Ma}-,  1S66,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  has 
given  visible  e\-idence  of  what  enterprise,  capable  management  and 
thrifty  industry  can  do  in  making  agriculture  and  stock-raising  a  paying 
venture  in  the  great  commonwealth  of  Nebraska  That  he  has  suc- 
ceeded anyone  can  witness  who  will  \isit  his  fine  farmstead,  with  all  its 
improvements  both  useful  and  ornamental,  which  he  himself  has  placed 
there. 

The  Parker  farm  was  built  up  from  a  nucleus  of  a  quarter  section 
of  raw  prairie,  which  Mr.  Parker  purchased  for  eighteen  hundred  dollars 
cash.  He  now  has  two  large  barns,  forty  by  fifty-eight  feet  and  fifty- 
six  by  thirty-two  feet  in  dimensions,  one  of  which  has  a  stone  basement ; 
there  is  a  corn  crib  thirty  by  forty  feet,  with  a  stone  foundation ;  a 
wagon  house  twenty  by  sixteen ;  a  shop  fourteen  by  sixteen ;  and  a  shed 
twelve  by  eighty.  There  are  three  residences  on  the  farm.  The  first 
one.  twenty-four  by  twenty- four  feet,  was  built  in  1870,  and  continued 
to  be  the  family  home  until  the  present  large  and  modern  dwelling  was 
erected,  being  two  stories,  thirty-two  by  thirty  feet,  and  with  an  addition 
twenty-four  by  fourteen  feet  with  commodious  basement.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  substantial  residences  of  the  countv.     The  first  home  is  now 


1/6  SOUTHEASTERN    N-EBRASKA. 

occupied  by  a  friend,  and  there  is  also  another  house  occupied  by  Mr. 
Parker's  son.  Mr.  Parker  also  planted  all  the  six  acres  of  groves,  and  has 
three  orchards  of  about  twelve  acres,  one  being  a  young  fruit  orchard. 
The  ample  stretch  of  lawn  about  the  house  is  ornamented  with  shade 
trees,  evergreens,  Scotch  firs  and  larches,  in  all  about  fourteen  varities  of 
trees  and  shrubs.  A  tall  windmill  is  a  feature  of  the  place,  and  supplies 
water  for  all  the  uses  of  the  place.  There  is  a  quarry  of  fine  building 
stone  on  the  place,  and  it  has  furnished  the  foundation  and  material  for 
many  houses  in  the  neighborhood.  Mr.  Parker  makes  a  specialty  of 
thoroughbred,  pedigreed  shorthorn  stock,  and  most  of  the  cattle  are  reg- 
istered. He  has  paid  from  one  hundred  and  forty  to  two  hundred  dol- 
lars for  many  of  his  animals,  and  has  sold  some  of  the  besi  in  the  county. 
He  kept  about  one  hundred  head  before  the  drop  in  prices,  and  now  has 
about  forty,  which  have  the  best  of  shelter  and  care  in  the  winter  and 
stand  up  to  their  knees  in  pasture  during  the  summer.  He  also  markets 
about  a  hundred  hogs  each  year. 

Mr.  Parker  came  to  Nebraska  from  Somersetshire,  England,  where 
he  was  born  August  19,  1841.  His  father,  Samuel  Parker,  was  also 
born  there,  in  18 19,  was  a  bricklayer,  and  died  here  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two  years,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  children  and  little  property,  but  a 
much  better  inheritance  in  the  shape  of  a  good  name  and  a  happy  memory. 
His  wife  was  Maria  Payne,  who  died  in  Brownville,  Nebraska,  when 
about  fifty-three  years  old.  They  lost  three  children  in  youth,  Anna 
Maria  having  died  when  eighteen  years  old,  and  the  three  now  living 
are :  "Fred ;  Walter  Samuel,  near  Auburn ;  and  Elizabeth  Dominey,  in 
Nemaha  county. 

Fred  Parker  had  only  meager  school  advantages,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  began  learning  the  tinner's  and  plumber's  trades,  at 
which  he  served  for  seven  years  at  small  pay.     After  coming  to  Brown- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  177 

ville,  Nebraska,  he  was  for  twelve  or  fourteen  years  the  leading  salesman 
and  manager  of  tlie  large  hardware,  grocery  and  implement  house  of 
Stephenson  and  Cross,  after  which  he  began  the  farming  operations 
which  he  has  since  carried  on  so  successfully. 

He  was  married  in  Brownville,  August  i,  1870,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Gange,  who  was  also  born  in  Somersetshire,  England,  on  April  10,  1845, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Stagg)  Gange,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  carpenter.  Her  parents  reared  four  children,  as  follows :  Mrs. 
Mary  Denmon,  a  widow,  of  Dorsetshire,  England;  Mrs.  Parker;  Mrs. 
Amelia  Forsey,  who  died  leaving  three  children ;  and  Albert,  unmarried, 
who  has  been  a  blacksmith  in  the  English  na\-y.  William  Gange's  first 
wife  was  a  ]\Iiss  Guppy,  and  he  had  sixteen  children.  He  was  a  strong 
and  vigorous  man,  and  died  in  187 1,  when  nearly  ninety-four  years  old. 
Mrs.  Parker's  mother  died  in  England  in  1862.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker:  .\  daughter  that  died  in  infancy;  Albert 
Gange,  born  in  Brownville.  May  4,  1874,  is  a  tenant  farmer  near  his 
father  and  has  a  wife  and  one  son,  Fred;  George  Denmon  lives  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  has  a  wife  and  a  son  and  a  daughter;  Carletta  Eliza, 
aged  seventeen,  is  at  home  and  in  school  pursuing  piano  music.  Mr. 
Parker  is  independent  in  political  and  religious  beliefs.  He  has  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace  four  years,  and  was  on  the  town  council  of  Brown- 
ville for  five  years,  and  has  been  on  the  school  board  for  twenty-five 
years.  Mrs.  Parker  is  an  Episcopalian.  Mr.  Parker  is  a  Mason  of 
thirty-seven  years'  standing,  and  has  taken  the  Royal  Arch  degrees.  He 
and  his  wife  are  royal  entertainers  in  their  beautiful  home,  and  are 
charming  people  in  every  relatiiin  in  which  they  meet  their  friends  and 
associates.        ' 


178  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

BERNARD  OTTENS. 

Bernard  Ottens,  or  Barney  Ottens,  as  he  is  familiarly  known  over  a 
great  part  of  southeastern  Nebraska  and  elsewhere,  is  now  a  retired 
resident  of  South  Auburn,  Nemaha  county,  but  for  forty  years  or  more 
was  one  of  the  most  active  farmers  and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
county.  He  came  to  Nebraska  in  pioneer  days,  lived  in  pioneer  fashion 
for  some  years,  and  from  the  primitive  conditions  which  he  found 
evolved  a  home  and  farmstead.  He  began  without  a  cent  of  capital,  and  Ijy 
industry,  frugality  and  honorable  perseverance  has  reached  a  place  of 
prosperity  and  esteem  among  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 

Mr.  Ottens  was  born  in  Germany,  October  24,  1830,  and  after 
spending  the  first  twenty  years  of  his  life  therei  he  emigrated  to  America, 
in  185 1.  He  was  two  months  on  the  way  from  Bremen  to  New  York, 
thence  he  came  to  Chicago,  from  there  to  South  Port,  now  Racine, 
Wisconsin,  and  from  that  point  walked  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to 
Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  where  he  had  acquaintances.  He  was  out  of 
money,  and  found  farm  work  at  ten  dollars  a  month.  He  remained  there 
from  December,  1851,  to  1857,  and  in  this  time  was  married  and  began 
to  get  ahead  a  little  in  the  world.  He  then  came  to  Nebraska  and  pre- 
empted a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Washington  precinct, 
Nemaha  county,  which  had  plenty  of  timber  on  it,  but  was  absolutely 
untouched  from  an  agricultural  standpoint.  He  first  put  up  a  log  house 
of  plain  poles,  two  rooms,  but  some  time  later  erected  a  stone  house, 
thirty-two  by  twenty-eight,  one  story  and  a  half,  getting  the  stone  from 
his  own  quarry.  He  has  been  a  diligent  worker  and  an  able  business 
man,  and  has  accumulated  considerable  property  since  he  first  came 
within  the  borders  of  this  state.  In  1898  he  bought  four  lots  in  South 
Auburn  on  Maxwell  street,  where  he  has  built  his  home,  and  he  has  two 


BERNARD   OTTENS 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  179 

tenant  houses  close  to  the  South  Auburn  mill.  He  has  his  own  hay  scales 
and  barn,  and  is  also  owner  of  another  farm  in  Douglas  precinct.  In  the 
summer  of  1862  he  teamed  to  Julesburg,  Colorado,  taking  his  own  farm 
products  for  disposal  to  the  ranchmen.  He  drove  oxen  10  his  wagon. 
He  sold  butter  at  fifty  cents  a  pound,  eggs  at  fifty  cents  a  dozen,  potatoes 
from;  seventy-five  cents  to  a  dollar  a  bushel  and  bacon  forty  to  fifty  cents 
a  pound.  He  also  killed  buffalo  and  sold  the  meat.  He  has  killed  all 
kinds  of  big  game  on  the  plains,  and  he  relates  that  during  the  sixties 
the  buffalo  were  so  numerous  that  he  has  driven  his  wagon  across 
sloughs  over  their  carcasses.  He  also  bears  witness  to  the  wanton  and 
needless  slaughter  of  these  animals  by  the  so-called  sporting  fraternity, 
and  that  it  is  small  wonder  that  the  noble  animal  is  now  nearly  extinct. 
Mr.  Ottens  was  married  in  1854,  at  \\'illow  Spring,  \\'isconsin,  to 
Miss  Mary  McCarvel,  who  was  born  in  Monahan  county,  Ireland,  in 
1835,  a  daughter  of  Pat  and  Alice  (IMcCabe)  McCarvel.  Twelve 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ottens :  Patrick,  born  in  Wis- 
consin, died  at  the  age  of  two  years;  Harmon  died  aged  eight;  Lizzie 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  Frank  died  when  six  years  old ;  Harmon, 
the  second  of  the  name,  died  at  the  age  of  eight;  Elizabeth,  is  the 
wife  of  John  Jurgensmeier,  and  has  seven  children  living;  Frank, 
the  second  of  the  name,  died  at  the  age  of  six ;  Alice  died  in  Kansas,  the 
wife  of  Henry  Grewing,  leaving  five  children:  Catherine  is  the  wife  of 
John  Bradley,  of  Oklahoma,  and  has  six  children;  Miss  Jane  is  at 
home;  Harmon  died  at  the  age  of  three;  and  Tillie  is  the  wife  of  David 
Okane,  a  farmer  at  Pender,  Nebraska,  and  has  two  children.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ottens  are  Catholics,  and  he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  for  four 
years,  from  1866  to  1870,  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  served  as  con- 
stable previous  to  that  time.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ottens  were  the  founders  of 


i8o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

tlie  St.  Joseph's  parachial  school  of  Auhurn ;  he  donated  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  for  the  school. 


JOSEPH  OGLE. 

Joseph  Ogle,  agriculturist  and  stock  farmer  of  Grant  precinct,  with 
postoffice  at  Dawson,  is  a  Richardson  county  settler  of  1873,  having  come 
here  from  Hancock  county,  Illinois.  He  was  a  young  man  then,  and 
time  has  since  added  to  his  years,  but  he  is  still  young  in  vigor  and 
energy  and  capacity  for  enjoyment  of  the  best  things  of  life.  He  and 
his  wife  have  been  happy  toilers  along  life's  way,  have  applied  all  their 
endeavors  and  intelligence  to  the  work  which  was  cut  out  for  them, 
and  they  therefore  richly  deserve  the  magnificent  success  that  has 
crowned  their  diligence  and  wise  management.  Their  home  is  to-day 
one  of  the  fine  ones  of  Richardson  county,  the  lands  cultivated  to  the 
highest  degree  of  profit  and  permanent  returns,  all  the  operations  of 
the  farm  being  carried  on  with  machine-like  system,  and  the  home  and 
household  from  every  standpoint  being  one  of  the  most  attractive, 
hospital  and  comfortable  that  an  intimate  friend  or  a  far-faring  trav- 
.eler  would  ever  care  to  find  for  his  solace  and  pleasure. 

The  owner  and  successful  operator  of  this  model  farmstead  was 
born  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  March  31,  1849.  His  grandfather  was 
a  cooper  in  the  same  county,  and  died  there  during  the  cholera  year. 
His  father  was  John  Ogle,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  about  1823,  and  died 
near  Humboldt,  Nebraska,  in  1880.  He  was  married  in  Illinois  to 
Jemima  Servia  Burgess,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  After  a  long 
marital  union  and  having  become  the  mother  of  ten  children  she  passed 
away,  being  buried  on  a  birthday  of  her  son  Joseph,  and  her  husband 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASICA.  i8i 

was  again  married.  They  were  members  of  the  United  Brethren  cliurch. 
They  reared  all  their  ten  children  but  one,  a  daughter,  Azubah  Hayes, 
died  in  Montana  leaving  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  living  chil- 
dren are:  Mrs.  Hattie  Davenport,  a  widow,  lives  in  Augusta,  Illinois, 
without  children;  ]Mrs.  Mary  Brown,  a  widow,  living  at  South  Sioux 
City,  Iowa,  has  five  living  children  of  the  seven  born  to  her ;  Joseph  is 
the  third  oldest  of  those  living;  John  M.  lives  in  Missouri  and  has  a 
family;  William  Otto,  of  Washington  county,  Colorado,  has  two  sons 
and  two  daughters;  James  Oscar,  of  Franklin  township,  Richardson 
county,  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters ;  Noah  is  a  farmer  of  Augusta, 
Illinois,  and  has  four  living  children. 

^Ir.  Joseph  Ogle  had  a  district  schooling  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
old.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  left  the  home  and  county  of  his  birth, 
and,  with  a  team  of  good  horses,  a  wagon,  plough  and  cultivator,  drove 
overland  to  Nebraska,  which  was  the  land  of  promise  of  his  youthful 
ambition.  He  camped  out  on  this  journey  and  leaving  Illinois  on  Feb- 
ruary 26th  arrived  in  Brownville,  ]\Iarch  9,  1873.  He  had  fifty  dollars 
in  cash,  and  for  the  first  season  he  farmed  on  land  of  his  brother-in-law. 
He  then  returned  to  Illinois  for  the  girl  who  for  thirty  years  has  been 
the  companion  of  his  joys  and  labors  and  whom  he  counts  as  the  coequal 
partner  with  himself  in  the  success  that  has  been  vouchsafed  to  them 
in  all  their  undertakings.  After  his  marriage  he  returned  to  Nebraska 
to  build  up  his  fortune.  He  bought  a  cjuarter  section  of  land  that  had 
never  been  touched  by  the  plow,  and  this  still  forms  a  part  of  his  farm, 
although  he  now  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  his  home  place 
and  a  quarter  section  of  bottom  land  in  Nemaha  county.  He  began  the 
work  of  improvement  in  the  spring  of  1877,  having  built  a  snug  little 
frame  house  which  served  as  his  abode  for  a  number  of  years.  A  few 
years  ago  he  moved  this  house  back  a  few  feet  and  began  the  erection  of 


i82  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

his  present  beautiful  country  residence,  which  is  among  the  finest  in  the 
countryside.  It  stands  back  from  the  dusty  highway,  is  embowered  in 
trees,  and  has  all  the  surroundings  that  harmonize  with  a  successful  man's 
dwelling.  The  house  is  two  stories  high,  with  a  large  attic  and  a  base- 
ment, the  furnace  being  in  the  latter  and  the  large  steel  tank  from  which 
all  the  rooms  are  supplied  with  water  being  in  the  attic.  There  is  a 
large  pillared  porch  before  both  stories  in  front,  and  the  rear  of  the 
house  is  all  screened  in.  There  are  seven  large  and  airy  bedrooms, 
and  the  parlor,  living-room,  dining-room  and  kitchen  are  richly  furnished 
and  decorated  according  to  the  best  ideas  of  modern  taste  and  arrange- 
ment. Mr.  Ogle  had  this  residence  built  by  day  work,  under  his  con- 
stant supervision,  and  it  cost  four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  for  every 
dollar  of  which  he  got  value  received.  They  moved  into  this  commodious 
dwelling  in  November,  1903.  He  also  has  a  cyclone  cave  made  of  a  solid 
stone  arch.  His  large  barn  was  built  in  1884,  and  there  are  also  numer- 
ous other  buildings  and  equipments  around  the  place.  Stock-raising 
and  general  farming  are  the  profitable  departments  of  Mr.  Ogle's  enter- 
prise, and  he  makes  his  undertakings  pay  unusually  well  even  for  the 
state  of  Nebraska  with  all  its  fertile  resources.  I\Ir  Ogle  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  but  the  only  office  he  has  held  has  been  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  and  his  wife  at  one  time  were  members  of  the  Grange. 
Mrs.  Ogle's  maiden  name  was  Lourette  E.  Swisegood.  She  was 
born  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  H.  and  Anna  C. 
(Haynes)  Swisegood,  who  were  both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  but  were 
reared  in  Illinois,  of  which  state  their  parents  were  pioneers.  Both 
her  parents  are  still  living,  in  advanced  years  but  still  in  good  health,  on 
their  old  homestead  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Ogle  is  one  of 
ten  children,  as  follows:  Sarah  S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months;  John  Swisegood,  who  came  to  Nebraska  in  1877  and  died  on 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  183 

his  farm  near  Dawson,  having  heen  a  locomotive  engineer  while  in  Ilh- 
nois,  and  three  sons  and  two  daughters  survived  him ;  Mrs.  Ogle  is  next 
of  the  family;  Cornelia  White,  in  Augusta,  Illinois,  has  one  daughter; 
the  fifth  child  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Eliza  Blanche  died  when 
twenty-six  years  old;  Nora  Spence  lives  in  Missouri  and  has  four  sons 
and  three  daughters;  George  is  a  farmer  in  Illinois  and  has  some  six 
children;  Thomas  died  in  Illinois  aged  twenty-five  and  unmarried;  and 
one  son  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogle  have  lost  three  children  and  have  four  living: 
John,  who  is  farming  one  of  his  father's  places,  has  a  wife  and  one 
son  and  one  daughter;  Anna  Blanche  is  the  wife  of  Walter  Cross,  a 
tenant  farmer,  and  has  one  son  and  two  daughters;  Susie  died  March 
21,  1903,  aged  twenty-two;  Marcellus  died  in  infancy,  January  10,  1883  ; 
Lena  E.  is  her  mother's  right-hand  supporter  and  helper  at  home  and  is 
a  charming  young  lady;  Ray,  aged  eighteen,  is  at  home  and  still  a  stu- 
dent; Bertha  Pearl  died  October  28,  1892,  aged  three  years. 


SAMUEL  B.  DOOLEY. 

Samuel  B.  Dooley,  one  of  the  popular  and  enterprising  residents  of 
Beatrice,  Nebraska,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  Post  No.  35  of  Beatrice.  He  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Four- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  May,  1861,  for  three  years,  and  his 
regiment  was  one  of  the  ten  regiments  organized  for  the  state  of  Illinois 
under  what  was  known  as  the  Ten  Regiment  Bill,  but  when  the  govern- 
or's call  came  for  men  these  ten  regiments  were  placed  at  the  disposition 
of  the  United  States  government.  Colonel  J.  M.  Palmer  commanded 
the  regiment  in  which  Mr.  Dooley  enlisted,  and  the  company  was  com- 


i84         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

mantled  by  Captain  T.  J.  Bryant.  This  regiment  participated  with 
General  Fremont  and  General  Hunter  and  later  was  transferred  to  the 
command  of  General  Grant  when  he  was  at  Shiloh  ;  they  also  participated 
in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  then  were  with  the  seventeenth  army  corps 
under  General  Sherman  in  his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  Mr.  Dooley 
was  taken  prisoner  on  October  4th,  and  for  six  months  was  confined  at 
Andersonville;  when  he  was  first  confined  he  weighed  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  pounds  but  when  released  was  a  mere  skeleton  of  ninety  pounds. 
No  words  can  do  justice  to  the  gallant  service  done  by  the  veterans  of 
one  of  the  most  terrific  struggles  the  world  has  ever  known.  Remnants 
of  their  arduous  fighting  and  long  marches  still  remain,  and  make  their 
sacrifice  all  the  greater. 

Samuel  B.  Dooley  was  born  in  Boone  county,  Indiana,  November 
6,  1S36,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Robert  Dooley,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a 
grandson  of  Samuel  Dooley,  also  born  in  Kentucky,  who  served  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2.  Robert  married  Julia  A.  Shelburne  and  eleven  children 
were  reared  from  "their  union,  three  of  whom  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil 
war :  John  K.  resides  in  Nuckolls  county,  Nebraska,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war;  James  R.  served  in  an  Illinois  regiment  and  died  in  Andersonville 
prison.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years  and  the  mother 
died  when  she  was  forty-six  years  of  age. 

Samuel  B.  Dooley  resided  in  Indiana  until  he  was  eighteen  years 
of  age,  during  which  time  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  later  the 
brickmaker's  trade,  but  he  then  engaged  in  a  mercantile  line  and  removed 
to  Illinois.  After  several  changes  he  settled  in  Kansas  in  1857  and  from 
there  returned  to  Illinois.  In  1882  he  located  in  Beatrice,  Nebraska, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. He  was  married  May  25,  1865,  at  Coldwater,  Michigan,  to 
Elizabeth  Wilkins,  whom  he  had  met  in  Kansas.     She  was  born  in  Indi- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  185 

ana  and  was  a  daugliter  of  Dr.  \\'ilkins,  a  physician  and  minister  of  the 
Christian  chnrch.  The  children  horn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dooley  were : 
Effie,  who  married  a  Mr.  Almon  Stevenson,  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Bush;  ]\Iinnie  Alta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years;  and  two  boys  who  died  in  infancy.  In  politics  ]\Ir.  Dooley  is 
a  stamich  Republican  and  served  in  Illinois  as  justice  of  the  peace  and 
mayor  of  Chapin,  Illinois.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
G.  A.  R.  post,  in  which  he  is  very  popular,  and  he  serves  faithfully 
as  elder  in  the  Christian  church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 
He  was  elected  commander  of  Rawlins  Post,  No.  35,  G.  A.  R.,  in  Janu- 
ary,  1904. 

JOHN  H.  COATNEY. 

John  H.  Coatney,  a  leading  farmer  and  stock  and  fruit  grower  in 
Peru  precinct,  Nemaha  county,  with  postoffice  at  Peru,  is  now  in  the 
main  retired  from  the  more  strenuous  and  arduous  toils  connected  with 
the  raising  of  the  fruits  of  the  soil.  He  has  certainly  deserved  much  in 
the  way  of  material  prosperity  and  latter-day  comforts  and  advantages, 
for  he  has  been  one  of  the  thrifty,  industrious  and  business-like  farmers 
of  southeastern  Nebraska  for  forty  years,  which  time,  when  \\ell  em- 
ployed, is  sufficient  in  a  productive  state  like  that  of  Nebraska  to  pro- 
vide any  man  against  the  advancing  foot  of  time  or  the  dangers  of  an 
idle  and  profitless  old  age. 

Mr.  Coatney  knows  wdiat  pioneer  conditions  and  hardships  are. 
He  made  his  arrival  in  Otoe  county,  Nebraska,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  before 
Nebraska  was  admitted  to  statehood  and  when  the  country  was  very 
new  and  barren  of  much  of  the  beauty  and  material  improvement  which 
now  meet  the  eye  of  the  traveler  on  every  hand.     He  came  from  Cass 


i86  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASK)A. 

county,  Illinois,  having  driven  through  with  two  covered  wagons  or 
prairie  schooners,  and  bringing  his  family  and  goods  and  chattels,  pre- 
pared to  make  a  place  for  himself  in  a  new  country.  For  the  first  two 
years  he  was  a  tenant  farmer,  but  then  bought  an  eighty  acre  farm, 
with  scant  improvements  in  the  shape  of  a  house  little  more  than  a  shell 
and  with  five  acres  broken  for  cultivation.  The  purchase  price  was 
fourteen  hundred  dollars,  and  he  had  five  hundred  dollars  that  he  had 
made  and  saved.  This  place  was  in  Nemaha  county,  and  it  has  been  his 
home  ever  since.  About  twenty  years  ago  he  tore  down  the  old  shanty 
and  built  in  its  place  a  commodious  and  comfortable  farm  house.  He 
has  also  built  a  fine  barn,  thirty  by  twenty-six  feet,  with  a  forty-foot 
addition  and  a  ten-foot  driveway.  He  keeps  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
head  of  cattle  and  ten  to  sixteen  horses,  and  each  year  raises  about  one 
hundred  Poland  China  hogs.  The  orchard  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  trees 
which  he  planted  soon  after  coming  to  the  place  has  died  out,  and  about 
five  years  ago  was  replaced  with  one  hundred  apple  trees  and  one  hun- 
dred cherry  trees,  which  are  now  bearing  fruit.  Mr.  Coatney  is  known 
everywhere  for  his  hard-working  qualities  and  for  the  success  that  he 
has  won  by  his  owa:  efforts  in  this  county. 

May  28,  i860,  Mr.  Coatney  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  to  a 
Virginia  maiden  of  seventeen  summers.  Miss  Margaret  Holtzman,  who 
was  born  in  Page  county,  Virginia,  October  26,  1843.  Her  parents, 
William  and  Ruth  (Battman)  Holtzman,  were  born,  respectively,  in 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  were  married  at  the  county  seat  of  Page 
county.  The  former  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  Virginia  in  1854,  when 
about  sixty-five  years  old.  His  widow  died  in  1864  in  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, whither  she  had  moved  in  1857,  and  of  their  ten  children  five  mar- 
ried and  had  families. 

Mr  .and  Mrs.  Coatney  reared  ten  of  their  twelve  children,  as  fol- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  187 

lows :  David  Henry,  called  "Dick,"  is  an  enterprising  farmer  on  an  adjoin- 
ing farm,  and  has  one  daughter.  Myrtle  Zoe;  Martha  Lee  is  the  wife  of 
Willard  Redfern  and  has  eight  children;  John  William,  a  farmer  in 
Oklahoma,  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters ;  George  B.,  also  of  Oklahoma, 
has  one  son  and  two  daughters;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Cyrus  Milan,  of 
Auhurn,  has  six  children ;  Linnie  Irene,  the  wife  of  Fred  Nelson,  has  four 
children ;  Addie  is  the  wife  of  D.  McKenney,  a  harber  of  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  has  two  sons ;  Edward  is  a  farmer  near  by  and  is  married ; 
Bessie  Pearl  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  Chavey,  of  Auburn,  and  has  one  son; 
Charles  Cleveland  is  at  home  and  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  the  home- 
stead. Mr.  Coatney  is  a  gold  Democrat.  He  has  served  his  fellow  citi- 
zens with  capability  and  conscientious  zeal  for  eighteen  years  as  road 
overseer  and  for  o\-er  twent}'  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He 
has  always  supported  the  churches,  but  is  not  a  member,  and  has  gained 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  associates  and  many  friends  by  his  sterling- 
honesty  and  fidelity  to  every  duty  incumbent  upon  his  manhood. 


MONROE  T.  CONNER. 

Monroe  T.  Conner,  a  prominent  grain  dealer  and  farmer  of  South 
Auburn,  Douglas  precinct,  Nemaha  county,  has  been  identified  with  this 
part  of  southeastern  Nebraska  for  over  twenty-five  years,  and  has  justly 
gained  distinction  among  the  business  men  of  his  county.  He  practically 
began  his  career  in  this  state,  and,  being  possessed  of  a  little  property 
when  he  came  here,  he  has  used  his  capital  to  the  very  best  advantage. 
He  has  proved  an  industrious  and  indefatigable  worker  in  every  line  in 
which  he  has  engaged,  has  displayed  shrewd  business  ability  and  push  and 


1 88  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

enterprise,  and  with  tliese  qualifications  he  lias  won  a  foremost  place 
among  the  citizens  of  his  county. 

Mr.  Conner  belongs  to  an  old-established  family  of  the  Mississippi 
valley.  His  father,  David  Conner,  was  born  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana, 
in  1824,  and  died  in  Missouri  in  1867.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer, 
and  came  to  the  latter  state  in  1841  in  boyhood,  before  the  memorable 
flood  of  1844  devastated  the  valleys  of  the  IMissouri  and  Mississippi.  He 
was  reared  and  lived  in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1828,  a  daughter  to 
the  first  marriage  of  William  Brown,  who  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Ken- 
tucky, whence  he  went  to  Indiana,  and  from  there  to  Missouri.  Mr. 
Brown  was  a  man  of  wealth  for  his  time,  was  a  merchant,  and  built  a  mill 
on  Sugar  creek,  and  both  the  Brown  and  Conner  families  were  prominent 
and  well  known  in  northeastern  Missouri.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
David  Conner  and  his  wife ;  ^Monroe  T. ;  George  W. ;  who  is  in  the  agri- 
cultural implement  business  in  Maryland  and  has  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters; Penelope,  wife  of  Cleveland  Black,  residing  near  the  old  home  in 
Missouri,  and  they  have  three  sons;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  A.  D.  Sutton,  lives 
at  the  old  farm  in  Missouri,  and  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters; 
Emily,  the  wife  of  William  Jones,  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  having 
been  the  mother  of  one  son  and  one  daughter  ;Henry  Clay  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years ;  and  one  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  in  1901  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Monroe  T.  Conner  was  born  in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  October  15, 
1849.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  learned  its  duties.  He  received 
a  common  school  education  up  to  the  age  of  eighteen,  at  which  time  his 
father  died,  and  he  remained  with  his  mother  until  he  was  twenty-seven. 
He  came  to  Nemaha  county  from  Missouri  on  March  18,  1877,  and  for 
two  years  engaged  in  farniing  and  stock  grazing  on  rented  land.    He  had 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  189 

about  a  thousand  dollars  to  start  with,  and  in  1880  he  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land  for  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  from  this  as  a  nucleus 
has  developed  a  large  business  by  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  the 
latter  branch  being  the  industry  to  which  he  has  devoted  his  principal 
efforts  and  with  the  most  success.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  and 
twenty-six  acres  of  choice  land,  in  one  farm,  with  two  residences,  four 
barns  and  other  outbuildings,  and  his  well  kept  fences  are  mostly  of  wire. 
His  fine  forty-acre  apple  orchard  was  just  beginning  to  bear  in  1900  when 
it  was  almost  ruined  by  a  storm,  with  a  loss  of  four  thousand  dollars  to 
^Ir.  Conner. 

He  embarked  in  tlie  grain-buying  business  at  Howe,  and  in  1881 
started  a  grain  and  stock  business  in  South  Auburn,  having  the  credit 
of  shipping  the  first  carload  of  hogs  from  that  place  over  the  Burlington 
and  ^lissouri  River  Railroad.  He  continued  the  stock  business  in 
Auburn  and  South  Auburn  for  about  twelve  years,  for  ten  years  the  firm 
being  Conner  and  Bousfield.  I\Ir.  Conner  sold  out  to  this  partner  in 
January,  1899,  and  was  engaged  at  home  on  his  farm  until  April,  1903, 
when  the  firm  of  Conner  and  L.  L.  Coryell  was  formed.  They  have 
an  elevator  of  twelve  thousand  bushels'  capacity,  and  they  ship  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  carloads  of  grain  each  year. 

June  II,  1873,  ^^'"-  Conner  was  married  to  Miss  Nina  Elliott,  who 
was  born  in  ^Missouri,  October  14,  1855,  one  day  earlier  in  the  month 
than  her  husband.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Dawson  and  Elizabeth  (Argo- 
bright)  Elliott,  who  were  from  Kentucky  and  came  from  that  state  to 
Missouri  in  1844,  where  the  latter  died  in  1S97,  at  the  age  of  sixty,- but 
the  former  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead,  hale  and  hearty  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two.  Mrs.  Conner  is  one  of  eight  children,  of  whom  she  is 
the  eldest,  and  the  others  were :  one  that  died  in  infancy ;  Nellie,  Edward, 
Dawson,  Bessie,  Lulu,  and  John.     All  were  married  and  had  families 


I90  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

but  two.  Mrs.  Conner  was  educated  by  her  well-to-do  parents  at  the 
college  in  Piatt  City,  Nebraska,  and  she  is  a  lady  of  much  refinement 
and  culture. 

■Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conner  have  six  children  living,  and  lost  the  third  in 
order  of  birth  when  it  was  an  infant.  Lemuel  Conner,  born  May  14, 
1874,  is  running  his  father's  farm;  Eva  is  the  wife  of  Francis  Thomas, 
of  Howe,  and  has  one  son ;  Gertrude  is  a  teacher  of  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music;  Earl  is  married  and  living  on  the  home  farm;  Mable  is 
at  home;  and  Raymond  is  twelve  years  old. 

Mr.  Conner  adheres  to  Democratic  principles.  He  held  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  for  two  terms,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board 
most  of  the  time.  During  this  time  the  county  court  house  was  built, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  public  structures  of  which  the  county  feels  proud, 
both  because  of  its  architectural  outlines  and  convenience  and  because  it 
was  built  economically  and  without  burdening  the  taxpayers  with  heavy 
debt.  The  last  bond  will  be  redeemed  in  1904,  and  then  the  county  will 
not  have  a  cent  of  indebtedness.  Mr.  Conner  as  chairman  helped  draw 
the  interior  plans,  and  in  many  other  ways  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the 
building  at  the  lowest  possible  cost  consistent  w-ith  good  workmanship. 
The  court  house  will  compare  in  every  way  with  any  to  be  found  in 
counties  of  the  same  size  in  the  west,  and  it  is  so  substantially  con- 
structed that  it  will  last  for  generations.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conner  are 
identified  with  the  Christian  church,  and  enjoy  the  highest  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  they  are  associated. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  191 

HENRY  B.  ERISMAN. 

Henry  B.  Erisinan,  a  prominent  farmer  in  Douglas  precinct,  Glen 
Rock  postoffice,  is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  industrious  men  to  whom 
Nemaha  county  and  southeastern  Nebraska  owe  tlieir  most  substantial 
development  and  progress.  Thirty  years  ago  Nebraska  was  one  of  the 
most  uninviting  p'laces  for  a  sluggard  or  anyone  not  possessed  of  great 
energy  and  diligence  and  even  courage  for  combatting  the  primitive  con- 
ditions to  be  found  at  that  time.  But  the  proper  kind  of  men  came,  settled 
and  worked,  and  the  result  is  that  beautiful  country  which  seems  to  the 
traveler  almost  paradisiacal.  Mr.  Erisman,  while  now  the  possessor  of 
one  of  the  fine  farms  of  the  county  and  in  prosperous  circumstances, 
began  with  nothing,  and  at  one  time  was  heavily  in  debt  for  his  place. 
He  deserves  great  credit  for  his  successful  career,  and  is  highly  esteemed 
both  as  a  man  and  citizen. 

Mr.  Erisman  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  March  7,  1847. 
His  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  a  farmer  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  died  about  1848,  leaving  a  large  family,  of  whom  there 
are  now  living  four  sons;  Joseph,  in  Illinois;  Christopher,  in  Ohio: 
Benjamin,  in  Ohio;  and  Emanuel^  in  Ohio. 

Jacob  Erisman,  the  father  of  Henry  Erisman,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1826  and  died  in  Nemaha  county  in  1895.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  come  from  Ohio  to  Nebraska,  in  1865.  He  had  a  meat  business 
at  Brownville  for  a  number  of  years.  He  began  life  without  money, 
and  at  one  time  possessed  ten  thousand  dollars.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  married  Miss  Fanny  \\'hitmer, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  still  living,  in  Washington  pre- 
cinct, Nemaha  county,  active  and  bright  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  Six 
of  their  nine  children  are  still  living:  Henry  is  the  oldest;  Lillie  is  the 


192  SOJJTIIEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

wife  of  William  Flack,  in  Washington  precinct,  and  has  seven  children; 
Lincoln,  a  bachelor,  lives  on  the  old  homestead  of  eighty  acres,  with 
his  mother;  Carrie  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  John  Hastie,  in  Oklahoma,  and  has 
three  sons  and  one  daughter;  Leroy,  in  Nemaha  county,  has  two  sons 
and  one  daughter;  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Swift,  in  Garfield,  Whit- 
man county,  Washington,  and  has  three  children. 

Henry  B.  Erisman  had  only  a  limited  education,  and  has  known 
hard  work  from  early  boyhood.  He  left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
and  worked  out  until  he  was  married.  He  bought  his  present  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  and  a  half  acres  in  1894,  and  he  has  made 
all  the  improvements.  He  now  has  two  hundred  acres.  He  built  his  com- 
fortable two-story  residence  in  1899,  and  has  all  the  conveniences  which 
make  the  farm  an  ideal  home.  He  grows  about  one  hundred  acres  of 
corn,  with  an  average  yield  of  thirty-three  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  fifty 
acres  of  wheat;  keeps  twenty-five  high-grade  shorthorns,  eight  or  ten 
horses  and  fifty  hogs.  At  the  beginning  he  was  in  debt  on  this  -place 
$2940.  but  he  is  a  hustler  .and  has  made  his  property  and  more  besides. 
His  residence  is  surrounded  by  shade  trees,  and  stand  well  back  from  the 
road,  its  embowered  appearance  suggesting  cosiness  and  inviting  com- 
fort, which,  in  fact,  are  always  found  in  this  home. 

February  24,  1884,  Mr.  Erisman  was  married  to  Miss  Samantha 
Swift,  who  was  born  in  Nemaha  county  in  1862,  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Swift  and  his  first  wife,  both  from  Missouri.  Seven  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erisman :  Carrie,  aged  eighteen,  is  in  the 
Auburn  high  school,  class  of  1905;  William,  aged  sixteen,  is  in  the  dis- 
trict school ;  Fannie  is  thirteen ;  Benjamin  nine ;  Bryan  seven ;  Grace  four ; 
and  one  son  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Erisman  now  votes  the  Populist  ticket, 
having  come  over  from  the  Republican  ranks.  He  has  never  sought 
office,  but  has  held  minor  offices. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  193 

FRANK  A.  CARMONY. 

Frank  A.  Carmony,  who  has  given  three  terms  of  satisfactory  ser- 
vice as  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Jefferson  county,  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  Hfe  in  southeastern  Nebraska,  and  is  a  well  known 
and  popular  resident.  He  has  given  to  educational  matters  the  best 
efforts  of  his  life,  and  has  evinced  special  fitness  for  the  duties  which 
he  is  now  performing.  The  office  of  superintendent  is  b}'  no  means 
a  sinecure,  and  he  has  devoted  all  his  energy  and  executive  ability  to 
the  management  of  the  complicated  system  under  his  charge. 

Mr.  Carmony  was  born  in  Ringgold  county,  Iowa,  Seotember  9, 
1873,  a  son  of  the  well  known  grain  dealer  of  Endicott,  this  county, 
J.  W.  Carmony  and  his  wife  Mary  J.  (Batten)  Carmony,  whose  biog- 
raphies find  place  on  other  pages  of  this  work.  Mr.  Carmony  is  one 
of  four  children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  He  was  reared  in  Iowa, 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  from  youth  up  has  known  farm  work.  He 
received  his  earlier  education  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  later  at- 
tended the  Western  Normal  College  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1896.  He  was  principal  of  the  Reynolds, 
Nebraska,  schools  for  some  time,  and  his  long  experience  in  educa- 
tional work  gives  him  a  thorough  equipment  for  the  office  to  which  he 
has  been  elected  by  the  voters  of  the  county.  He  has  carried  the  county 
at  each  election  by  a  good  majority,  and  his  administration  meets  with 
the  approval  of  the  best  classes  of  citizens. 

Mr.  Carmony  is  a  Populist  in  politics,  and  has  been  active  in  party 
affairs  and  a  delegate  to  the  state  conventions.  In  1897  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Sadie  H.  Boggs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carmony  have  one  son, 
Arthur,  who  is  five  years  old.  They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  are  highly  esteemed  in  the  social  circles  of  the  county. 


194  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

WILLIAM  H.  LOHR. 

William  H.  Lohr,  the  popular  and  efficient  postmaster  at  Howe, 
Xemaha  county,  and  also  the  leading  hardware  merchant  of  the  town, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for  twenty  years,  and  is  one  of  the  long 
established  and  best  known  citizens.  He  has  excellent  qualifications  both 
as  a  citizen  and  business  man,  and  during  his  four  years"  incumbency  of 
the  office  of  postmaster  has  given  one  of  the  best  administrations  in  the 
histor}'  of  the  office. 

Mr.  Lohr  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  5,  1858. 
His  grandfather,  Andrew  Lohr,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  life- 
long farmer  there.  He  married  a  j\Iiss  Smith,  of  Franklin  county,  and 
she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  while  he  survived  and  was  about 
eighty-five  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  They  reared  all  their 
ten  children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  all  married  but  one  and 
had  a  numerous  progeny.     Some  of  the  sons  served  in  the  Civil  war. 

Jacob  Lohr,  tlie  father  of  ^Villiam  H.  Lohr,  was  born  at  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1828,  and  is  now  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  in 
Rock  county,  Minnesota,  with  his  son  George.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Foutz,  of  the  same  locality  in  Pennsylvania,  and  her  brothers  were  sol- 
diers in  the  Civil  war.  She  died  in  the  summer  of  1880  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two,  leaving  four  of  her  six  children.  George,  the  eldest,  born  in 
1855,  is  in  Rock  county,  Minnesota;  John  died  in  youth;  Jacob  died  when 
about  three  years  old;  William  H.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  Mrs. 
Mary  Jane  Hopkins  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren;  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Harrison,  in  Rock  county,  Minnesota. 

William  H.  Lohr  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Pennsylvania  and 
enjoyed  a  fair  amount  of  schooling  there.  He  left  home  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  coming  to  Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  also 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  195 

attended  Tilford  Academy.  He  began  teaching  school  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  and  was  engaged  in  tliis  pursuit  altogether  for  fourteen 
years,  both  in  Iowa  and  in  Nebraska.  He  came  to  Nemaha  county  in 
1883.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  in  Howe,  enjoying  a  good  trade  in  the  town  and  county.  Pros- 
perity has  come  to  him  through  his  years  of  efifort  for  self-advancement, 
and  he  deserves  all  he  has  gained,  for  he  began  life  without  capital  and 
each  step  of  progress  has  been  the  result  of  his  own  endeavors.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  held  the  postmastership  for  four  years. 
He  owns  his  home  and  his  store  building,  and  he  is  always  willing  to 
work  for  the  town  of  his  choice  and  do  all  in  his  power  for  its  upbuilding. 
Mr.  Lohr  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1881  to  Miss  Amanda  J.  Mathews, 
w'ho  was  born  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  in  1846,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mrs.  (Wolf)  Mathews,  natives  of  Ohio,  now  deceased  as  a  result  of  a 
typhoid  epidemic,  which  also  took  away  two  or  three  of  their  children. 
Two  of  their  sons,  Theodore  aud  George,  are  farmers  in  Nemaha  county, 
and  have  families.  John  Mathews  was  a  l)lacksmith  by  trade.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lohr  lost  their  first  child,  a  daughter,  in  infancy :  Ethel  is  at  home ; 
Ralph  is  a  boy  of  fifteen  and  in  school ;  Inez  is  thirteen  years  old,  and 
Lola  is  eleven.  Mr.  Lohr  affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  has 
served  as  banker  of  the  order  and  is  now  clerk,  and  ]\Irs.  Lohr  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


WILLIAIM  ARTHUR  CLARK. 
William   Arthur   Clark,   president  of  the   Nebraska   State  Normal 
School  at  Peru,  has  a  useful  and  creditable  record  as  an  educator,  begin- 
ning with  the  teaching  of  his  first  school  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old. 
Many  years  of  experience  in  schools  of  all  grades  from  the  old-fashioned 


196  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

"deestnct"  temple  of  learning  to  the  loremost  institutions  of  higher  learn- 
ing in  this  country,  liave  broadened  his  intellectual  horizon  and  fortified 
ills  powers  for  the  responsible  position  which  he  now  holds  and  for  the 
career  that  still  awaits  him — now  in  the  prime  of  his  life  and  with  his 
years  of  greatest  usefulness  before  him.  Education's  progress  and  ad- 
\-ancement  are  the  causes  dearest  to  his  heart  and  the  goal  of  his  ambition, 
and  he  has  found  a  broad  and  ample  field  in  his  place  as  head  of  one  of 
the  most  important  educational  training  centers  in  the  state  of  Nebraska, 
a  commonwealth  noted  for  its  high  intellectual  standards  and  its  wide 
dififusion  of  literary  culture  among  the  people.  In  the  short  time  that 
Dr.  Clark  has  been  connected  with  the  Nebraska  State  Normal  he  has  not 
only  maintained  the  high  standard  set  by  his  predecessors  but  has  notice- 
ably increased  its  educational  efficiency  in  all  departments. 

Dr.  Clark  was  reared  in  Ohio.  At  tlie  age  of  eleven,  soon  after  his 
father's  death,  he  entered  the  high  school  at  \\'est  Union,  Adams  county, 
and  graduated  from  there  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  In  his  fifteenth  year 
he  secured  a  country  school  and  taught  six  months  for  forty  dollars  a 
month.  Following  this  early  pedagogical  experience,  he  entered  the  Nor- 
mal University  of  Ohio,  from  which  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  He  taught  a  country  school  and  also  a  village  school, 
then  became  principal  of  his  home  high  school,  and  for  several  years  was 
principal  or  su])erintenilent  of  town  schools.  In  1880  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  school  of  the  Ohio  Sailors'  Orphans'  Home  at 
Xenia,  and  filled  that  position  for  two  years.  He  was  then  called  to  his 
alma  mater,  the  Normal  L'niversity,  as  teacher  of  mathematics,  and  dur- 
ing the  ten  years  that  he  filled  that  chair  over  fourteen  thousands  pupils, 
from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  received  instruction  from  him  and  many 
of  these  ha\e  in  turn  Ijecome  teachers  and  filled  other  worthy  places  in  the 
world's  activitv. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  197 

111  1893  Dr.  Clark  resigned  his  position  in  the  Normal  University 
and  entered  Harvard  University  as  a  graduate  student  in  mathematics, 
but  left  before  the  end  of  the  year  in  order  to  become  dean  of  the  faculty 
of  the  ^^'estern  Normal  College  at  Lincoln  Nebraska,  where  he  spent 
one  year  as  teacher  of  psychology  and  pedagogy,  and  a  most  busy  year 
it  was.  for  he  delivered  addresses  in  eighty-one  of  the  ninety  counties  of 
the  state  in  addition  to  other  duties.  From  Lincoln  he  came  to  Peru 
and  accepted  the  position  of  instructor  in  psychologv'  and  pedagogy  in 
the  State  Normal,  holding-this  from  1895  to  1898.  In  the  latter  year 
he  returned  to  Har\-ard  and  took  work  in  pedagogy,  psychology  and 
philosophy.  In  1899  Harvard  X'nixersity  awarded  him  the  degree  of 
A.  ]\I.  Li  the  same  vear  he  was  appointed  to  the  fellowship  in  pedagogy 
in  the  L'niversity  of  Chicago,  and  in  connection  with  his  duties  in  that 
position  taught  educational  psychology.  He  received  the  degree  of 
Ph.  D.  from  the  L'niversity  of  Chicago  in  1900,  the  subject  of  his 
Doctor's  thesis  being  "Suggestion  in  Education." 

Dr.  Clark  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Peru  State  Normal 
in  1900.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  National  Educational  Associa- 
tion, is  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  Academy  of  Science,  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Teaching  of  Speech  to  Deaf-mutes,  and  of  the 
American  Social  Science  Association. 

Dr.  Clark  is  the  author  of  se\eral  small  outline  text-books  on 
arithmetic,  geography  and  physiology ;  also  magazine  articles  on  educa- 
tional topics.  He  is  at  present  writing  a  work  on  "Suggestion  in 
Education"  which  will  be  an  expansion  of  his  Doctor's  thesis. 


198  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

WILLIAM  TYNON. 

\\'illiam  Tynon  is  one  of  tlie  best  known  and  most  prosperous 
agriculturists  and  stockmen  of  Nemaha  county,  and  for  thirty-five 
years  lie  has  been  at  the  forefront  in  that  business.  Possessed  by 
inlieritance  and  nature  witli  an  energetic  and  enterprising  disposition 
and  adapted  by  early  training  and  inclination  for  tlie  various  departments 
of  the  stock  industry,  he  has  made  it  his  life  work  and  devoted  his  best 
years  and  efforts  to  building  up  an  industry  with  which  his  name 
will  always  be  connected  in  this  section  of  Southeastern  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Tynon  is  the  owner  of  an  almost  princely  estate  of  ten  hundred 
and  forty  acres  situated  two  miles  west  and  north  of  Peru,  and  this 
broad  demesne  is  not  only  the  scene  of  profitable  and  thorough  agricul- 
tural enterprise  but  is  also  a  place  of  beaut}',  and  in  the  summer  no  more 
grateful  and  pleasing  view  could  meet  the  eyes  than  that  of  the  waving 
grain  fields,  the  meadows  and  pastures  with  the  many  herds,  and  the 
picturesque  homestead  centered  in  the  midst  of  giant  cottonwoods  and 
groves  of  fruit  and  shade  trees — the  whole  place  alluring  and  inviting 
whether  from  the  standpoint  of  the  artistic-minded  or  seeker  after  rustic 
ease  or  that  of  the  appreciative  and  business-like  husbandman.  i\Ir. 
Tynon  bought  all  this  land  at  an  early  day,  and  when  prices  were  from 
ten  to  seventeen  dollars  an  acre,  but  his  acreage  is  now  worth  an  average 
of  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  and  he  was  recently  oft'ered  fifty-five  thousand 
dollars  for  the  estate.  He  feeds  yearly  about  three  hundred  cattle, 
shipping  about  two  bunches  of  his  own  annually ;  he  also  feeds  many 
hogs,  and  in  one  year  lost  six  thousand  dollars  from  the  ravages  of 
cholera.  His  corn  fields  will  aggregate  about  five  hundred  acres,  averag- 
ing fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  at  present  he  feeds  out  about  twenty 
thousand  bushels  of  corn  each  year,  although  he  does  not  go  into  the 
jtock-feeding  business  as  heavily  as  he  was  wont  a  few  years  ago.     For 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  199 

the  past  ten  years  he  has  had  tenant  farmers  on  tlie  place,  and  has  four 
tenant  houses.  Tlie  fine  large  mansion  which  is  the  abode  of  so  much 
open-hearted  hospitality  was  erected  in  1893.  He  has  planted  the  one 
hundred  apple  trees  and  some  of  the  shade  trees,  but  the  seven  giant  cot- 
tonwoods  which  are  the  chief  arboreal  adornment  to  the  farmstead  and 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  all  the  country  around,  have  been  here  for 
over  forty  years.  He  has  about  four  miles  of  osage  hedge  about  his 
place  and  the  other  fences  are  of  wire,  and  all  the  barns  and  other  up-to- 
date  improvements  he  has  placed  on  the  farm  since  coming  here. 

Mr.  Tynon  was  born  in  county  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  March  20,  1842. 
?Iis  father,  Patrick  Tynon,  was  born  on  the  same  farm,  and  was  a 
large  dealer  in  horses  and  cattle  and  a  tenant  farmer  on  an  extensive 
scale,  often  exhibiting  stock  at  the  weekly  fairs  throughout  the  United 
Kingdom,  and  also  shipping  much  stock  to  Scotland  and  other  places. 
He  brought  his  family  to  America  in  1S48,  and  after  the  long  voyage 
from  Liverpool  to  New  York  settled  in  Syracuse,  New  Xovk,  being  a 
man  of  means  for  that  time.  In  1851  he  went  to  Joliet,  Illinois,  and 
bought  a  half  section  of  land,  and  lived  there  until  his  death.  He  left 
a  good  estate,  and  was  everywhere  known  as  a  man  of  integrity,  honesty, 
thrift  and  well  directed  industry.  His  first  wife  and  the  mother  of  Mr. 
Tynon  was  Catherine  Brennan,  also  of  county  Kilkenny,  and  she  died 
in  Ireland  in  1844,  leaving  two  sons.  The  son  Andrew  is  now  a  stock 
rancher  in  Indian  Territory,  whither  he  removed  after  a  number  of 
years'  residence  in  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska.  Patrick  Tynon  was  again 
married,  but  his  second  wife  preceded  him  in  death  by  twenty-four  years. 
They  had  a  number  of  children,  but  only  two  are  now  living:  Catherine 
Cavanah,  a  widow  in  Joliet;  and  John  Tynon,  a  retired  coal  dealer  of 
Joliet,  and  has  one  son. 

William  Tynon  attended  the  district  schools,  and  remained  at  home 


200  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

until  his  majority.  In  the  spring  of  1861  he  went  to  Peoria,  Ilhnois, 
and  was  a  general  helper  and  salesman  in  a  drug  store  for  over  two 
years.  Christmas,  1863,  he  returned  to  Joliet  and  remained  with  his 
father  for  some  time,  the  later  heing  afflicted  with  the  asthma.  His 
brother  had  gone  to  Nemaha  City,  Xeljraska,  and  for  se\eral  years  was 
successfully  engaged  in  freighting  across  the  plains,  having  two  outfits 
and  four  yoke  of  oxen  for  each.  Andrew  Tynon,  the  cousin  of  ^^'illiam 
and  Andrew,  was  also  engaged  in  freighting  with  the  latter,  and  was 
afterward  engaged  in  the  merchandising  business  at  Peru,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Stella,  Richardson  county,  Nebraska.  William  left  Joliet 
in  1869  and  went  to  visit  this  cousin  in  Peru,  and  this  led  to  his  perma- 
nent settlement  in  Nemaha  county.  He  soon  liegan  to  buy  and  ship  cattle 
to  Chicago,  and  this  has  l)een  his  leading  enterprise  ever  since.  During 
the  early  days  he  paid  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  per  car,  but  this 
tariff  has  since  been  more  than  halved.  He  has  shipped  from  six  to 
eight  cars  at  a  time,  and  at  an  interval  of  every  ten  days  during  the  busy 
season.  He  used  to  take  his  cattle  across  the  Big  Muddy  on  a  flat  boat, 
which  was  a  slow  and  uncertain  oi^eration,  and  made  Phelps  or  ^^^^tson, 
in  Missouri  across  from  Brownville,  his  shipping  points. 

Mr.  Tynon  was  married  in  Chicago,  July  30,  1871,  to  Miss  Bridget 
Coonin,  who  was  born  near  Joliet,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Ed  Coonin,  of 
Canada.  Eight  children  were  born  to  "Sir.  and  ]\Irs.  Tynon,  as  follows: 
Catherine,  who  graduated  from  the  Peru  Normal,  where  all  the  other 
children  have  likewise  been  educated,  and  is  now  principal  of  the  graded 
school  in  Nebraska  City;  Elizabeth,  who  is  helping  her  mother  at  home; 
IMary  Agnes;  Josephine;  Alargaret ;  William  A.,  who  is  on  the  farm  and 
purposes  to  follow  farming  as  his  occupation,  although  all  his  sisters 
have  educated  themselves  for  teachers;  Louise,  a  teacher  in  this  county; 
and  Rosa,  who  will   graduate  from  the  normal  school   in  the  class  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  201 

1904.     ]\Ir.  Tynon  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  served  as  scliool 
director  for  over  twentv  years. 


CHARLES  CREUZ. 

Charles  Crenz,  one  of  the  intelligent  and  progressive  farmers  in 
Bedford  precinct,  Sonth  -\ubnrn  postoffice,  Nemaha  county,  has  resided 
in  this  county  for  over  twent}'  years,  and  in  this  time  has  brought  out  one 
of  the  prettiest  farms  in  the  locality  from  the  virgn  sod  of  the  prairie 
which  had  hardly  been  touched  by  the  civilizing  power  of  man  when 
he  first  located  upon  it.  Mr.  Creuz  has  already  passed  the  seventieth 
milestone  on  his  life's  journey,  but  is  still  working  with  almost  undi- 
minished vigor,  and  many  results  will  yet  be  apparent  before  the  sun  of 
his  career  sets.  He  began  life  without  any  capital,  and  from  careful 
sa\'ings  has  gone  forward  step  by  step  to  independence  and  a  prosperous 
position  among  his  fellow  citizens.  Besides  working-  out  hi=.  indi\idual 
career,  he  has  become  the  father  of  sons  and  daughters  who  are  now 
filling  honorable  places  in  the  wurld,  and  in  matters  of  citizenship,  also, 
he  has  not  been  lacking  in  the  public  spirit  and  readiness  which  are  the 
qualities  demanded  by  national  loyalty  and  civic  advancement. 

Mr.  Creuz  was  born  in  W'uertemberg,  Germany,  September  17, 
1830,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Fredericka  (Crummel)  Creuz,  who 
were  parents  of  the  following  children:  Charles;  Christina,  born  in 
1833,  is  the  wife  of  Christ  Rau,  a  farmer  in  Eogan  county,  Illionis,  and 
has  eleven  children;  John,  fiorn  in  1837.  is  a  farmer  in  Douglas  county, 
Illinois,  and  has  two  children;  Barliary,  born  in  1840,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Auer,  a  wealth}'  retiretl  farmer,  and  has  three  sons  living:  Caroline, 


202  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

born  in  1844,  is  the  wife  of  John  Mason,  in  eastern  Ilhnois,  and  has  one 
son  and  one  daughter.  The  parents  of  these  children  were  farmers,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1854,  making  the  trip  in  forty-six  days. 
The  father  died  in  Coles  county,  Illinois,  in  1855,  '^t  the  age  of  fifty-two, 
and  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  1806,  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years,  one  month  and  five  days.  Both  of  them  rest  in  the  Methodist 
churchyard  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois. 

Charles  Creuz  had  al)out  eight  years'  schooling  in  Germany,  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  on  November  28,  1850,  sailed  from  Bremen  for 
the  United  States.  After  encountering  fi\-e  severe  storms,  which  caused 
all  to  lose  hope  of  ever  reaching  land  again,  and  during  which  Mr, 
Creuz  displayed  as  much  fortitude  of  mind  and  body  as  did  the  best  of 
the  sailors,  the  ship  landed  at  Baltimore  in  January.  He  came  out  to 
visit  his  uncle  in  Ohio,  having  barely  enough  money  to  get  there.  He 
arri\ed  in  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  in  January,  and  for  the  following  three 
years  worked  out  by  the  month.  W^hen  he  was  married  in  1S55  he  had 
about  four  hundred  dollars,  all  saved  from  his  earnings,  and  he  began 
life  as  a  tenant  farmer.  He  and  his  brother  John  owned  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  common  for  a  time,  but  in  1880  he  sold  and  came  to 
Nemaha  county.  Nebraska.  He  bought  one  hundred  and  seventy-si.x 
acres  for  two  thousand  dollars,  and  then  \\ent  back  to  Illinois  and 
brought  his  family  to  liis  new  land  in  February,  1882.  This  was  all 
prairie  land  in  the  state  of  nature's  dress,  and  in  the  twenty  years  since 
then  it  has  become  as  fine  a  farm  as  one  could  wish  to  see.  His  first 
house  was  of  two  rooms,  to  which  he  has  since  added  until  he  has  a  com- 
fortable abode  of  six  rooms.  He  built  a  good  barn  in  189 1.  Mr.  Creuz 
was  fifty-three  years  old  when  he  was  planting  his  orchard,  and  a  neigh- 
bor woman  remarked  in  passing,  "The  old  fool  is  out  planting  trees, 
and  he  will  never  live  to  eat  the  fruit."     But  the  orchard  of  one  hundred 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  203 

and  twenty-five  trees  has  borne  fruit  many  times  since  that  day,  as  many 
other  improvements  to  the  place  iia\e  served  their  days  of  usefuhiess  and 
been  replaced  \vith  others.  But  he  is  not  yet  weary  of  well-doing,  for  he 
believes  that  the  good  he  does  here  will  live  after  him,  and  every  good 
deed  will  bear  its  fruit,  if  not  for  him,  for  those  that  come  after,  and 
thus  the  world  will  be  Ijetter  for  his  effort. 

July  2J,  1855,  Mr.  Creuz  was  married  to  Miss  Cynthia  Summers, 
who  was  born  March  22,  1830,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (^^'ite)  Summers.  The  former  had  a  cooper  shop  in 
Cincinnati,  and  in  1831  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  cholera  scourge,  as  did 
also  his  wife  and  all  the  relatives.  Cynthia,  who  was  the  only  child, 
was  adopted  by  a  ]\Ir.  McFaren,  and  from  an  early  age  she  knew  the 
life  of  toil,  and  had  meager  schooling.  She  met  Mr.  Creuz  about  a 
year  before  they  were  married.  Imvc  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Creuz,  as  follows :  Jonathan  Jackson  is  a  tenant  farmer  in 
Oklahoma,  and  has  lost  his  second  wife  and  has  six  children,  the  son 
Luther  living  here  with  his  grandparents;  Clara  is  the  wife  of  George 
Gillen,  of  Oklahoma,  and  has  four  children;  Herman  is  a  well-to-do 
farmer  in  Oklahoma,  owning  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  has  nine 
children;  Charles  is  a  farmer  in  Clay  county,  Nebraska,  and  has  eight 
children;  and  Franklin  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Oklahoma,  and  has  three  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creuz  have  twenty- 
nine  grandchildren  li\-ing,  and  ha\e  lost  five.  Mr.  Creuz  has  a  good 
picture  of  his  mother  which  was  taken  when  she  was  about  ninety  years 
old,  one  year  before  her  death.  Mr.  Creuz  and  his  wife  are  Lutherans, 
and  he  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  They  are  still  active,  although  j\lrs. 
Creuz  has  the  rheumatism  much  of  the  time,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
they  may  live  many  more  years  to  adorn  the  county  and  community  in 
which  they  have  done  such  useful  service  in  the  past. 


204  •  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

HON.  THOMAS  JEFFERSON  MAJORS. 

Hon.  Thomas  Jefferson  Majors,  ex-lieutenant  governor  of  the 
state  of  Nebraska  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  the  agricul- 
tural, financial,  public  and  political  life  of  Nemaha  county,  is  a  pioneer 
and  old-time  settler  of  this  part  of  Southeastern  Nebraska,  Avhere  he 
first  took  up  his  residence  in  June,  1859.  From  the  very  first  lie  took 
a  foremost  part  in  the  county's  development.  He  has  had  an  extreme- 
ly prosperous  career  from  a  material  point  of  view,  but  his  place  in 
the  c<immunity  and  state  is  not  due  to  his  financial  success,  for  he  has 
given  some  r)f  his  best  efforts  to  public  enterprises.  He  is  honored  as 
a  veteran  of  the  Ci\-il  war,  in  which  he  rose  from  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
to  colonel,  and  bad  a  creditable  record  of  fi\-e  years'  service  to  his  coun- 
try. Fie  has  been  again  and  again  -sent  to  the  state  balls  of  legislature, 
as  \\ell  as  to  the  second  executive  office  of  the  commonwealth.  Educa- 
tional progress  also  owes  much  to  Mr.  ^Majors,  and  wherever  he  has 
touched  the  life  of  the  comnmnity  be  has  left  his  impress  for  good  and 
advancement. 

j\[r.  Majors  was  born  at  Libertyville,  Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  June 
25,  1 841.  His  Scotch-Irish  ancestors  from  the  north  of  Ireland  settled 
in  this  country  many  generations  ago.  and  the  family  has  always  been 
a  race  of  stalwarts  in  physique  and  mentality,  and  as  a  rule  there  have 
been  large  families  of  children.  Mr.  Majors'  great-grandfather  was  a 
Kentuckian.  liut  the  son  of  a  South  Carolinan.  Elijah  ?^lajors,  the 
grandfather  of  ]\lr.  ]\lajors,  was  a  native  of  Simpson  county,  Kentucky, 
born  during  the  earliest  days  of  that  commonwealth.  He  owned  a 
large  plantation,  worked  by  slaves,  but  his  sons  did  not  favor  the  "pecu- 
liar institution,"  although  during  the  Ci\il  war  some  were  ranged  on 
the  side  of  the  north  and  others  with  the  south. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  205 

Sterling  P.  ?\Iajors,  the  father  oi  Mr.  Majors,  was  born  in  Simp- 
son county,  Kentucky,  in  April,  1819,  and  died  in  Nebraska,  July  13, 
1886,  his  remains  resting  in  the  cemetery  at  Peru.  He  had  the  follow- 
ing brothers  and  sisters:  Alexander  ^lajors,  a  stone  and  brick  mason 
and  contractor  in  Kentucky,  Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  he  died  in  the  last 
named  state  when  past  middle  life,  leaving  three  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter; Katie,  the  wife  of  Henry  Hart,  died  in  Illinois  at  an  advanced  age, 
lea\-ing  four  sons  and  four  daughters;  Mary,  the  wife  of  .\mos  Hart,  a 
farmer  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  left  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Sterling  P.  Majors  was  married  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Ann 
Brown,  who  was  born  in  Simpson  county,  Kentucky,  March  18,  1820, 
a  daughter  of  ^A'illiam  and  Mary  (Ingraham)  Brown.  There  were 
ele\-en  children  of  this  union,  of  whom  fi\-e  grew  up,  as  follows  :  Sarah,  the 
widow  of  \\'.  G.  Glasgow,  in  Peru,  has  si.\  living  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  and  twenty-three  grandchildren,  havir.g  lost  one; 
Thomas  J.  is  the  next  oldest ;  \\'ilson  E.  Majors  lives  in  Peru ;  Lizzie 
is  the  wife  of  C.  G.  Dorsey,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  has  two  liv- 
ing children :  John  F.  was  a  merchant  in  Bradshaw,  Nebraska,  where 
he  died  in  January,  1897,  leaving  a  wife  and  seven  children,  with  a 
small  estate. 

The  following  is  the  obituary  of  Sterling  P.  Majors:  "Hon.  S.  P. 
Majors,  born  in  Kentucky,  April  2-.  1819;  reared  on  a  farm  and  had 
a  common  schooling  during  winters  until  sixteen;  learned  the  brick  and 
stonemason  trade  and  worked  at  it  for  several  years ;  studied  law  and 
was  admitted,  but  was  a  merchant  many  years  and  well-to-do,  although 
he  met  losses;  his  later  years  were  spent  in  agriculture;  moved  to  Iowa 
from  Illinois,  where  he  and  his  wife  had  gone  in  childhood,  and  lived 
in  Iowa  from  1837  to  1861,  when  he  came  to  Nebraska;  was  a  [Meth- 
odist, and  an  active  and  efficient  official  most  of  his  life." 


2o6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Tliomas  Jefferson  Majors  was  reared  in  Libertyville,  Iowa,  en- 
joyed a  liberal  schooling,  and  as  his  father  was  a  prominent  merchant 
of  that  town  he  early  became  familiar  with  mercantile  affairs.  On  June 
15,  1861,  when  he  lacked  a  few  days  of  being  twenty  years  old,  he  en- 
listed in  the  First  Nebraska  Infantry  as  first  lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany. He  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
siege  of  Corinth,  Memphis,  Helena,  Cape  Girardeau  and  numerous 
minor  battles.  \Miile  in  Arkansas  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and  was 
then  sent  to  the  western  frontier  to  hold  the  Indians  in  check.  Mr. 
Majors  spent  the  last  two  years  of  his  service  on  the  plains.  He  was 
mustered  out  at  Omaha,  July  i,  1866,  and  during  this  five  years  of 
army  life  had  spent  one  month  in  the  hospital  at  Pilot  Knob,  Missouri, 
ill  with  pneumonia. 

After  this  gallant  career  as  a  soldier  he  returned  to  Peru_,  Nebraska, 
where  he  had  settled  in  1859  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business, 
and  now  resumed  his  activity  in  that  line.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  was 
elected  to  the  territorial  council,  and  in  the  next  year  was  elected  to  the 
first  state  senate,  being  re-elected.  The  first  important  act  he  did  while 
in  the  senate  was  to  introduce  and  carry  through  the  bill  providing  for 
the  State  Normal  School  to  be  located  in  Peru,  thus  conferring  inesti- 
mable benefit  upon  his  adopted  town.  For  a  time  he  was  assessor  of 
internal  revenue  for  district  of  Nebraska.  He  served  for  three 
successive  terms  as  the  representative  of  his  county  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture and  in  1887  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  and  in  1889  again  re- 
turned to  the  house.  In  1891  he  was  elected  lieutenant  governor  of 
the  state,  and  re-elected  in  1893.  In  1894  he  was  the  Republican  nomi- 
nee for  governor,  but  by  the  margin  of  three  thousand  votes  was  de- 
feated by  Silas  Holcomb.     He  is  still  active  in  politics,  and  has  always 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  207 

wielded  much  influence  in  party  councils  in  liis  own  county  and  in  the 
state. 

In  August  1870,  Mr.  j\lajors  was  married  to  Miss  Isabelle  Bush- 
ong,  who  was  born  in  Bureau  C(iunty,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Lucinda  (Munson)  Bushong,  who  were  natives,  respectively,  of  Tennes- 
see and  New  York,  and  are  now  deceased.  Her  father,  who  \vas  a 
prominent  farmer,  in  1893  recei\ed  some  votes  for  the  United  States 
senate.  ]\Irs.  Majors  is  a  lady  of  much  intelligence  and  culture,  and 
is  a  skilled  musician.  Ten  children  have  been  born  to  ]\lr.  and  ^Slrs. 
Majors,  but  li\e  died  when  young.  Frank  Majors  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Peru  normal  and  the  Law  Department  of  the  State  University  at 
Lincoln,  and  is  now  an  attorney  in  North  Yakima,  Washington:  James, 
a  farmer  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  is  married  and  has  two  daughters; 
Thomas  is  married  and  is  the  station  agent  of  the  Burlington  Railroad 
at  Rockford,  Nebraska ;  Charles  is  at  home  and  unmarried ;  and  Gladys, 
aged  fourteen,  is  attending  the  normal  school. 

Air.  Majors  is  a  Mason  of  thirty-six  years'  standing  and  has  at- 
tained the  thirty-third  degree,  and  all  his  sons  are  members  of  that 
fraternity.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  is  a  past  department  commander.  Since  retiring  from  his  mercan- 
tile business  in  1878,  Mr.  Majors  has  given  his  attention  to  his  real 
estate  interests.  He  owns  eighteen  hundred  acres  of  farm  lands,  be- 
sides residence  property  in  Peru.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is 
a' director  of  the  only  bank  in  Peru.  His  home  farm  consists  of  eight 
hundred  acres,  and  he  located  upon  it  in  1870.  He  has  recently  erected 
not  onlv  the  finest  residence  in  Peru  but  in  the  entire  county,  and  it 
is  a  place  of  architectural  beauty,  comfort  and  homelike  elegance.  The 
building  is  strictly  "home-made."  The  brick  which  forms  its  walls 
was  burned  on  his  own  land,  and  the  timbers  for  the  frame  work  grew 


2o8         SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

on  his  place.  Its  dimensions  are  forty-eiglit  and  forty-eight  feet,  with 
basement,  two  full  stories  above,  and  the  top  floor  being  practically  a 
story.  It  contains  a  Grand  Army  hall  and  rooms  for  the  Women's  Re- 
lief Corps.  It  is  finished  in  cjuarter-oak.  is  heated  throughout  ■with  the 
latest  hot  water  apparatus,  and  has  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences 
of  the  urban  home.  It  is  situated  under  the  Iiluffs.  facing  the  east,  and 
is  siu'rijunded  with  a  spacious  lawn  and  abundance  of  shade  trees. 
Here  it  is  the  privilege  of  Mr.  Majors  to  enjoy  what  his  career  of  in- 
dividual effort  and  public-spirited  endeavor  ha\-e  brought  him,  and 
his  own  genial  good  nature  and  the  open-hearted  hospitality  of  the 
family  make  this  a  home  -which  a  guest,  once  welcomed,  loths  to  lea\-e 
and  longs  to  revisit. 

HARVEY  J.  CALLEX. 

Harvey  J.  Callen,  one  of  the  prominent  grain  dealers  of  South- 
eastern Nebraska,  has  been  in  business  in  South  Auburn,  Nemaha  coun- 
ty, for  a  number  of  years,  and  is  one  of  the  well  known  citizens  of 
that  place.  Besides  being  concerned  in  many  of  the  business  interests  of 
the  town,  he  has  taken  a  due  part  in  social,  political  and  religious  ac- 
tivities, and  is  in  all  things  a  public-spirited  citizen  who  may  be  de- 
pended upon  for  influence  and  aid  in  promoting  the  progress  and  de- 
velopment of  his  town  and  community. 

]\Ir.  Callen's  grandfather  was  Edward  Callen,  of  Tennessee,  who 
married  ^Nliss  Martha  Cate,  also  of  that  state.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry  and  she  of  German,  and  they  had  five  children,  one  of  the 
sons  dying  wdiile  in  the  service  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war. 
Grandfather  Callen  was  a  large  and  rugged  man,  and  lived  to  be  about 
seventv  vears  old. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  209 

Prvor  L.  Callen.  tlie  father  of  Harvey  J.  Callen.  was  born  in  east- 
ern Tennessee  in  September.  1827.  and  in  1833  came  from  that  state 
to  Appan(.>ose  county,  Iowa,  wliere  in  1855  be  was  married  to  ATiss 
Lementine  America  Hays,  who  was  born  near  Xash\'ille,  Tennessee,  in 
iS;^;},.  Pryor  L.  Callen  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of  tliis  part  of  biwa.  taking- 
up  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres,  al- 
though he  lives  in  Des  ]\biines.  He  and  his  wife  were  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Har\ey  J. :  Preston  Alex  is  a  contractor  and 
builder  of  Des  Moines,  and  is  married:  Edward  is  in  business  with 
Har\-ey  in  Auburn,  and  is  married:  John  A.  Logan  Callen  is  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  of  Des  Moines  and  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Ella,  wife  of  J.- B.  Kenyon,  of  Center\ille,  bnva,  has  one  son:  Frank 
Ha)s  Callen,  a  grain  dealer  of  Marquette,  Xeliraska,  has  six  children  : 
Mvrtle  died  at  the  age  of  three;  Ceorge  P.  is  a  contractor  and  builder 
of  Des  Moines,  and  is  single:  Mrs.  Lora  Spurgeon,  whose  husband  is  a 
farmer  near  Center\ille,   biwa,  has  two  children. 

Harvey  J.  Callen  was  born  in  .-\ppanoose  county.  b>wa.  March  19, 
1856.  Being  the  oldest  of  the  family  be  had  to  work  from  an  early 
age,  although  be  obtained  good  schooling  in  the  public  schools.  He  left 
the  home  farm  and  b)wa  in  1879  and  came  to  Hamilton  county,  Ne- 
braska, where  for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  farm  implement 
business  at  Aurora.  He  later  came  to  South  Auburn,  and  the  firm 
of  H.  J.  Callen  and  Comjiany  has  two  elevators  in  this  city  and  is 
doing  an  cxten-^ive  business  in  handling  grain.  W.  H.  Furguson.  of 
Hastings,  Nebraska,  is  the  comjiany  part  of  the  firm,  and  is  one  of  the 
large  speciilators  and  grain  men  of  the  state,  ba\"ing  about  eighty 
ele\'ntors  in  \arious  towns  o\er  a  large  area.  Mr.  Callen  is  also  a 
stockholder  in  the  new  fine  brick  hotel,  called  Avenue  Hotel,  in  Auburn, 


2IO  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  besides  his  own  comfortable  home  on  ^Maxwell  street  owns  consid- 
erable other  city  property. 

On  Christmas  day  of  1880  ]\Ir.  Callen  married  Aliss  Ellen  Hiatt, 
who  was  one  of  his  schoolmates  in  Iowa,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Oren  A. 
Hiatt  by  his  first  wife,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  North  Carolina. 
Her  father  is  now  living-  ^^■ith  his  third  wife,  and  has  four  children  by 
his  first  ^^■ife  and  five  living  by  his  third  wife.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  ]\Ir.  and  ]Mrs.  Callen ;  Irene  Clen.  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years;  Ernest  Ray.  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen;  and  Fay,  a 
girl  of  thirteen.  ]\[r.  Callen  afliliates  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
\\'orkmen  and  the  Modern  \\'oodmen,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  ^\•hich  lie  has  been  trustee  for  nine  years.  He 
votes  the  Republican  ticket,  but  has  ne\er  aspired  to  office.  He  is  a 
good  citizen,  and  he  and  his  family  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem 
wherever  known. 


AUGUST  ECKHARDT. 

August  Eckhardt.  who  resides  on  section  33,  Clay  township,  Pawnee 
county,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  this  locality  and  an 
e.x-soldier  of  the  Ci\il  war.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  December  5, 
1840.  His  father  was  a  sergeant  in  the  German  army  for  twenty-five 
years.  He  married  Elizabetli  W'asniann,  and  their  children  were  as 
follows:  Lillie,  who  died  in  the  United  States;  Anna,  of  Illinois;  and 
August. 

August  Eckhardt  was  educated  in  Germany  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  after  a  voyage  of 
eighteen   days   landed  upon   .\merican   soil.      He  at   once  proceeded  to 


AUGUST    ECKHARDT 


I 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  211 

Cook  county,  Illinois,  and  tlience  went  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  In 
1872  he  removed  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska.  On  September  5,  1861, 
he  enlisted  at  Ottawa,  LaSalle  county,  Illinois,  in  Company  H,  of  the 
Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry,  Colonel  Hoyd  Dickey,  of  Ottawa,  and  Captain 
Wimple,  of  Pulaski,  commanding.  The  regiment  was  sent  to  Belmont, 
Kentucky,  and  later  to  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson.  still  later  to  Shiloh, 
and  finally  Mr.  Eckhardt  was  placed  on  the  body  guard  of  General 
Grant,  and  participated  in  the  wonderful  cam]iaigns  of  the  famous  general. 
At  Corinth  he  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  The  animal  fell  upon  Mr. 
Eckhardt,  injuring  him  so  seriously  that  he  has  never  fully  recovered, 
and  will  always  suffer  from  the  effects  of  the  terrible  wound.  On 
account  of  it,  after  a  long  siege  in  the  hospital,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  returned  to  his  Illinois  home. 

On  February  12,  1867,  Mr.  Eckhardt  was  married  at  Delavan, 
Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  to  Rachel  F.  W'ertz,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Hauk)  W'ertz,  natives  of  St.  Thomas.  Pennsylvania,  who 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1864.  where  both  died.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eckhardt 
are  very  well  and  favorably  known  and  have  many  frie\uls  not  only  in 
Clay  township,  but  throughout  the  county. 


WILLIAM  HOLROYD. 

William  Holroyd,  living  retired  from  active  life  in  his  pleasant 
country  home  in  Glen  Rock  precinct,  Xemaha  county,  Nebraska,  is  one 
of  the  pioneer  citizens  of  this  locality,  and  is  enjoying  now  the  rest 
and  comfort  to  which  he  is  entitled  after  long  years  of  careful  manage- 
ment and  honest  toil. 

Mr.  Holroyd  is  an  Englishman  by  birth.     He  is  a  native  of  York- 


212  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

shire,  and  was  born  October  ii,  1829,  son  of  John  Holroyd.  The  latter 
also  a  native  of  Yorkshire.  England,  was  born  about  1807,  and  died 
there  about  1863,  leaving  his  widow  and  eight  of  their  nine  children. 
He  was  a  manufacturer  of  steel,  in  which  business  he  brought  up  his 
sons,  and  he  also  gave  them  good  schooling  ad\-antages. 

William  H<ilroyd  first  came  to  America  in  1853.  with  \\\it  and 
one  child,  in  a  sail  vessel,  landing  in  Xew  York  after  a  \'oyage  of  twenty- 
eight  da}-s.  At  Pittsburg  he  was  employed  in  a  steel  mill  for  o\-er  a 
}ear,  when  he  returned  to  England  taking  his  ^^ife  with  him.  Later 
he  again  went  to  \\-ork  in  the  Pittsburg  steel  mill,  and  remained  there 
another  year.  In  the  spriiig  of  1855  he  came  to  Nebraska,  landing  at 
P)rown\ille  on  May  iitli.  and  here  he  purchased  nne  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  government  land,  at  ."^i.^^  per  acres,  and  estalilished 
his  home  in  a  log  cabin,  sixteen  by  twenty-t\\o  feet  in  dimensions,  hav- 
ing two  rooms,  one  upstairs  and  one  down.  But  few  improvements 
had  been  made  in  this  part  of  the  country  at  that  time,  and  the  Indians 
were  still  here — not  hostile,  however.  Game  of  \-arious  kinds  was 
plenty,  and  '\]x.  Holroyd  recalls  the  fact  tliat  in  the  early  days  of  their 
settlement  here  he  supplied  the  larder  with  vensinn.  Their  western 
i')U.rney  was  made  b}-  boat  and  on  the  wa}-  he  stopj^ed  in  Inwa.  When 
he  came  here  he  lirought  a  yoke  of  oxen  of  his  brother-in-law  Thomas 
Mosley.  Here  he  has  been  interested  in  farming  all  these  years,  with 
the  exceiJtion  of  four  years  during  the  Civil  \\ar,  when  he  returned 
to  Pittsburg  and  made  good  wages  in  the  mill.  He  now  owns  two 
hundred  acres  of  well  improved  land;  with  its  long  stretches  of  neatly 
trimmed  hedge  and  its  well  kept  buildings,  including  the  two  residences 
(one  occupied  by  himself  and  one  by  his  son),  barns  and  other  build- 
ings.    .And  his  land  is  stocked  with  high-grade  horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 

Mr.   Holrovd  is  the  father  of  ten   children,  one  born   in   Englanil, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  213 

line  in  I'ittsburg  and  the  otliers  in  Xehraska.  Those  now  li\-ing  are: 
Echvin.  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma  territory,  lias  a  wife  and  four  chilch'en ; 
Eveline,  wife  of  Erank  Comstock.  a  farmer  living  southeast  of  Auburn, 
has  one  son  and  four  daughters:  and  \\'ilfred,  a  farmer.  The  mother 
of  his  children,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eliza  Alosley.  and  who  was 
a  native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  died  May  22,  1879.  at  the  age  of 
fifty-one  years.  March  3.  iSSi.  Mr.  Hojroyd  married  Mrs.  Marv  L. 
\\'ilson.  nee  Biddle.  widow  of  David  Wilson,  who  died  in  \\'isconsin. 
Iea\ing  her  and  an  adopted  son.  Mrs.  Holroyd  was  born  in  ^Vashing■ton 
county.  Xew  York.  December  25.  1829.  daughter  of  John  and  Joanah 
( \'an  Patten)  Biddle,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  York  and  the 
latter  of  Xew  Jersey.  In  the  Riddle  family  were  eleven  children,  four 
of  whom  reached  adult  age:  Mrs.  Holrdyd  and  her  lirother  Henry. 
\\ho  resides  in  X'r.rth  Park,  C<ilorado.  are  the  only  sur\-i\-ars. 

Mr.  Holroyd  has  usually  been  a  sup])orter  of  the  RejmbHcan  party. 
Recently,    howex'er.   he  has   \oted   the   indejiendent   ticket. 


ALBERT  C.  LEEPER. 

Albert  C.  Leeper.  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  Douglas  township.  Xemalia  county.  Xebraska,  set- 
tled liere  in  187J,  and  has  been  identified  with  this  kicality  f(ir  more 
than  three  decades.      A  brief  re\•ie\^•  of  his  life  is  as  fcjllows: 

Albert  C.  Leeper  was  Ix^rn  in  Cass  county.  Blinois.  .\pril  9.  1851, 
and  belongs  to  a  family  several  generations  of  which  have  been  agricul- 
turists. The  family  have  records  dating  back  as  far  as  1700.  showing 
Mathew  Leeper.  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  tn 
have  been   the  owner  of  a   large  tract   of  land.      Leeper  township   in 


i  . 


214  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Bureau  county,  Illinois,  \vas  named  in  honor  of  this  family.  Albert  C. 
Leeper's  grandfather.  Robert  Txeper,  \vas  born  either  in  Virginia  or 
Kentucky.  In  the  latter  state  he  lived  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
married  a  Miss  Somers,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
viz. :  Enmatyre,  William  Dudley,  Samuel,  Elizabeth,  John,  Martha 
and  Mary.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  Kentucky.  The 
father  subsequently  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  married  a  second  wife 
and  had  two  children — Robert  and  Nancy.  He  died  in  Illinois,  in  1844, 
at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

William  Dudley  Leeper  was  born  in  Kentucky,  I'ebruary  17,  181 7, 
and  died  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  March  25,  1866.  He  married  in 
Cass  county,  Illinois.  January  i,  1848,  Mary  Ann  Run}-an,  a  native  of 
Gallatin  county,  Kentucky,  born  in  1832.  daughter  of  Wilson  Runyan. 
After  their  marriage  tliey  settled  on  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  part  of  his 
father's  estate,  where  their  family  was  reare<l.  Of  their  six  children, 
three  are  now  li\ing:  George  \\'.,  of  Cass  cmmty.  Illinois:  Albert  C. 
whose  name  introduces  this  article;  and  Arthur  A.,  a  lawyer  and  an 
ex-state  senator  of  Illinois.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  in  1857, 
and  the  father  afterward  wedded  ]Miss  ^laria  Hermeyer.  who  bore  him 
a  daughter  and  son.  Mary  E.  and  Henry  S.  The  second  wife  (bed 
Febrviary  6,  1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 

Albert  C.  Leeper  received  a  fair  common  school  education.  In 
1872,  on  reaching  his  majority,  he  left  home  and  came  to  Nemaha  coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich 
prairie  land,  at  ten  dollars  per  acre.  From  its  jjrimitive  condition  he  has 
developed  his  land  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment. Here  we  now  find  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  hedge  fence,  shade 
trees  and  fruit  trees  (one  hundrd  and  fifty  of  which  are  apple),  and  a 
comfortable   residence,   barns,    granaries,    etc.      In   connection   with    his 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  215 

general  farming  Mr.  Leeper  has  always  gi\-en  more  or  less  attention 
to  stock-raising.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  he  fed  and  sold  the  first  car- 
load of  cattle  shipped  from  Auhurii. 

Mr.  Leeper  has  a  wife  and  six  children.  ]\lrs.  Leeper  was  hefore 
her  marriage  Miss  Cyntha  Ethleen  ^^'ood.  She  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
county.  Indiana,  and  a  daughter  of  Eli  and  Sallie  A.  (Stewart)  Wood, 
natives  of  Indiana  and  now  residents  of  Custer  count)-.  Oklahoma.  The 
Wood  family  comprised  four  children,  Mrs.  Leeper  being  the  eldest. 
Of  the  others  we  record  that  Eunice,  now  Mrs.  Hollar,  resides  in  Okla- 
homa ;  Wallace  S.  also  is  in  Oklahoma :  and  Jeanette  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leeper  are:  A'ida  E.,  a 
teacher,  now  living  with  her  grandparents  in  OklalK mia ;  .\nnie  E., 
Nellie.  Dudley  W.,  Bessie  and  Dale  R. 

Politically,  ^Ir.  Leejjer  is  a  Populist  and  a  Bryanite,  antl  fraternal- 
ly he  is  identified  with  the  F.  and  A.  j\1.  and  A.  O.  l\  W.  He  has 
always  taken  an  acti\-e  interest  in  local  affairs,  and  has  served  twelve 
years  as  school  director  in  his  district.  Mrs.  Leeper  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist   Episcopal   church. 


ALBERT  KOEPPEL. 

Albert  Koeppel,  who  has  been  numbered  among  the  thrifty,  ener- 
getic and  prosperous  agriculturists  of  Southeastern  Nebraska  since  the 
loth  of  September,  1867,  has  his  present  beautiful  farm  in  Peru  precinct, 
about  a  mile  west  of  the  town.  When  he  came  to  this  state  he  had  to 
begin  operations  with  little  money  and  consecjuently  crude  means  of 
living  and  of  preparing  the  soil  for  the  raising  of  crops.  The  shell  of  a 
house  which  he  erected  for  his  first  domicile  he  still  remembers  as  a 


2i6  •        SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

scene  of  liap])iness  but  of  Ixireness  and  lack  of  comfort,  luit  that  has  long 
since  gi\en  place  to  an  abode  of  neat  and  pleasing-  exterior,  of  ciimfort  and 
gijcid  cbeer  within,  and.  withal,  a  home  worth  striving  for  and  a  fit  re- 
ward  for  a   life  of  toil_  and  early  privation   in  a   frontier  country. 

]\[r.  ICoeppel.  who  thus  took  up  his  residence  in  the  new  state  of 
Nebraska  nearlv  thirtv-se\-en  years  ago.  was  born  near  Halle.  Saxony, 
Germany.  August  26.  T844.  His  father.  August  Koeppel.  born  De- 
cember 10.  1814.  \\as  an  overseer  of  a  coal  mine,  and  was  in  good  cir- 
cumstances and  gave  his  children  good  advantages.  He  died  in  1885, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  married  Augusta  Knap])e,  of 
^^■ettiu.  in  i8_^8.  and  they  had  tweUe  children,  three  sons  and  nine 
daughters,  seven  of  whom  grew  up.  namely;  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Damme,  of  Halle:  Alliert  is  the  second  oldest:  .August  is  a  well-to- 
do  farmer  seven  miles  southwest  of  Fairliury.  Nebraska,  and  has  three 
daughters:  Louis  is  a  baker  in  Nebraska  City,  and  has  fi\e  children 
living:  Alary  is  married  and  has  three  children  living:  Emily  lives  in 
C'icrnruiv  and  has  six  children:  Au.gusta.  who  was  the  olilest  of  the 
family,  came  to  America  in  \'t^C^y  with  her  brother  Alliert.  and  she  died 
in  Neliraska  without  leaving  any  children.  The  mother  of  these  children 
preceded  her  husband  in  death  by  one  year,  passing  away  in  1884.  at 
the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

Albert  Noeppel  was  reared  in  his  native  place,  and  from  the  age 
of  fourteen  until  he  was  nineteen  worked  in  the  mines.  At  the  latter 
a,ge  he  entered  the  (lerman  army,  and  gave  three  )-ears  and  four  months' 
service  to  his  emperor,  bein,g  in  fixe  battles  during  the  course  of  Austro- 
Hungarian  and  Prussian  \\ar,  never  failing  to  report  for  duty  at  a 
single  roll  call.  In  the  spring  of  1867  his  brother  August  came  to 
America,  and  in  the  fall  he  and  his  sister  followed.  He  had  some 
monev  on  his  arrixal  here,  and  he  first  took  ui)  his  residence  in  Sidney, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  217 

Ii)\va,  where  he  remained  fur  a  year  witli  his  uncle.  William  Knappe, 
who  had  come  tn  this  CDuntry  in  184S,  haxing  spent  sixtv-nine  davs 
Dn  the  water.  In  1869  Mr.  Koeppel  left  Sidney  and  came  to  Otoe 
county.  Nebraska,  wliere  he  bought  eight}"  acres  of  raw  praire  land 
for  two  hundred  dollars.  He  at  once  began  the  task  of  improving  this 
purchase,  and  built  for  his  shelter  a  frame  house  sixteen  by  twenty-four 
feet,  of  one  story,  and  in  this  he  made  his  home  until  iSjf).  He  pur- 
chased his  ]iresent  farm  of  eighty-fi\-e  acres  in  iSgi.  paying  twent\'-one 
hundred  and  twenty-fi\e  dollars  for  it.  with  its  good  improvements,  con- 
sisting of  a  brick  residence  and  an  orchard.  In  1894  he  erected  liis  good 
barn,  anfl  he  has  also  planted  a  new  apple  and  peach  orchard  in  the 
spring  of  1904.  He  does  a  general  farming  luisiness,  growing  from 
twelve  to  eighteen  hundred  bushels  of  corn  and  raising  a  numlier  -of 
liogs. 

On  January  23.  1873.  ^  memorable  day  to  all  Xebraskans  and 
doubly  so  to  Mr.  Koeppel.  on  which  da}'  the  mercury  fell  to  the  unpre- 
cedented mark  of  tliirty-six  degrees  below  zero,  he  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Kathrina  Provost,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1843,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Griuet.  a  carpenter.  In  1S50  her  parents  brought  her  to 
America,  being  twenty-two  days  on  the  passage  to  Xew  Orleans,  whence 
they  went  to  St.  Louis.  Six  children  were  born  to  :Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koep- 
pel:  Oliver,  born  in  Otoe  county,  died  at  nine  months;  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Ivers,  of  Peru,  and  has  two  sons:  Emma  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Patterson,  of  Oregon,  and  has  two  sons  and  a  daughter; 
Theresa  died  in  Otoe  county,  aged  twenty-two  months:  Edward  is  a 
farmer  and  has  a  wife  and  one  son;  and  P>ertha  is  the  wife  of  Arthur 
Simpson,  a  farmer  in  London  jirecinct,  and  has  one  son.  Mr.  Koeppel 
is  an  independent  voter,  and  is  indifferent  as  to  political  preferment. 
He  is  now  serving  his  district  as  school  director. 


2i8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

WILLIAM  WATSON. 

This  venerable  citizen  and  retired  farmer  of  Auburn,  Nebraska,  is 
of  Scotch  birth  and  parentage.  Mr.  Watson  first  saw  the  Hght  of  day 
in  the  county  of  Edinburg,  Scotland,  January  12,  1824.  His  father, 
William  Watson,  a  coal  miner  by  occupation,  was  born  in  the  same 
place,  about  1791  ;  and  his  mother,  \\hose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Shan- 
non, was  also  a  native  of  Edinburg  county.  In  their  family  were  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  married,  except  two  daughters.  The  fourth  in 
order  of  birth  was  William. 

William  Watson  was  reared  and  married  in  his  native  land,  and 
was  occupied  in  the  coal  mines  of  Scotland  until  1851,  when  he  emi- 
grated to  America,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  four  children.  He  had 
just  money  enough  with  which  to  purchase  their  passage  to  this  coun- 
try, the  voyage  was  made  in  a  sail  vessel  and  they  were  six  weeks  and 
two  days  from  Liverpool  xo  New  Orleans.  Eight  days  later  they  landed 
in  St.  Louis.  The  first  night  on  their  trip  up  the  ^Mississippi  the  boat 
sprang  a  leak,  the  passengers  were  put  ashore  at  midnight,  where  they 
remaine<l  until  the  trouble  was  o\-ercome  and  the  journey  could  be  con- 
tinued. Arri\ed  in  St.  Louis,  ]\Ir.  Watson  soon  found  employment, 
mining  coal  near  that  city,  and  worked  there  six  years,  receiving  two  to 
five  dollars  per  dav.  In  1857  he,  with  one  hundred  others,  came  to 
Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  expecting  to  homestead  land.  Their  plans 
were  changed,  however,  and  ?\Ir.  Watson  bought  eighty  acres,  four 
miles  southwest  of  Auburn.  He  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
and  by  paying  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  to  a  land  speculator  and 
relinquishing  eight}-  acres  he  was  deeded  eighty  acres.  He  paid  forty 
percent  interest.  His  first  work  here  was  to  build  a  little  cabin  of  logs, 
hewing  them  on  the  inside,  and  into  this  humble  home  he  moved  his 
family.     Some  years  later  he  built  a  substantial  stone  house,  thirty-four 


SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA.  219 

by  twenty-four  feet  in  dimensions,  two  stories.  He  quarried  the  rock 
and  dressed  it  and  burned  liis  own  lime  for  Iniilding  purposes,  doing  all 
the  work  himself,  alone,  from  the  foundation  to  the  roof.  And  the 
house  is  standing  to-day  as  solid  as  e\er.  ^Ir.  \Vatson  added  to  his  farm 
until  he  had  two  hundred  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1901.  He  has  done 
no  farming,  however,  since  1898,  when  he  retired,  after  forty  years 
spent  as  a  successful  agriculturist.  In  1898  he  bought  and  moved  into 
his  present  residence,  which  had  just  been  built. 

Mr.  Watson  married,  in  1845,  ^^'ss  Margaret  McNeil,  a  native  of 
Lanarkshire,  Scotland,  bom  April  9,  1825,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary 
(McCollins)  McNeil.  Her  father,  who  was  a  coal  miner,  was  accident- 
ally killed  in  the  mines,  in  the  prime  of  life;  and  her  mother  kept  the 
little  family,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  together  and  reared  them  by 
her  own  efiforts.  She  died  in  Scotland  at  an  advanced  age.  The  chil- 
dren all  grew  up  and  married  and  have  children  of  their  own,  and  all 
are  still  living.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Watson  have  ten  children,  namely:  Will- 
iam, who  is  married  and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter,  owns  and  occu- 
pies a  part  of  the  old  homestead ;  Mary,  who  resides  with  her  parents, 
is  the  widow  of  Ephraim  ^lilton  Long,  and  has  five  children,  all  married 
and  settled  in  life;  Daniel,  an  Oklahoma  farmer,  has  a  wife  and  eleven 
children:  James,  also  of  Oklahoma,  is  a  farmer  and  stone-layer,  doing 
fine  mosaic  work,  and  is  married  and  has  ten  children:  Margaret,  wife 
of  Joseph  Snurr,  of  Dawson  county,  Neliraska,  has  two  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Jane,  wife  of  Robert  Bryant,  a  furniture  manufacturer  of 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  has  one  son  and  two  daughters ;  Robert,  a  blacksmith 
of  Howe,  Neliraska,  has  a  wife,  son  and  daughter:  Agnes,  wife  of 
George  Harmon,  of  Auburn,  has  one  son  and  three  daughters;  Euphemy, 
wife  of  William  Myers,  a  farmer  of  Bedford  township,  Nemaha  county, 
has  a  son  and  a  daughter :  and  David,  engaged  in  farming  in  Nemaha 


220         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

county,  lias  wife,  one  son  and  two  daugliters,  tlie  family  at  this  writing 
numbering  twent\'-six  grandsons  and  twenty-one  granddaugliters,  and 
the  great-grandchildren  number  twent}'-one. 

Politically  Mr.  Watson  was  for  years  a  Republican,  but  recently 
he  has  af^filiated  with  the  Populist  party.  He  and  his  good  wife  are 
de\oted  members  of  the  Church  of  God:  both  \\ere  reared  in  the  Presby- 
terian church.  ^Ir.  A\'atson  inherited  to  a  marked  degree  the  strong 
constitution  peculiar  to  his  nationality.  Some  time  ago  while  nccupied 
in  painting  his  building,  he  fell  from  a  ladder  and  sustained  se\ere  in- 
juries, from  ^^•hich  be  has  never  recovered,  and  he  now  goes  about  on 
crutches.  Notwithstanding  this,  he  is  still  remarkably  active,  both  men- 
tally and  physically,  for  one  of  his  }-ears,  since  be  has  entered  the  oc- 
togenarian ranks. 


CHARLES  B.  HURST. 
Charles  B.  Hurst,  a  prosperous  agriculturist  residing  in  Peru.  Ne- 
braska, is  an  old  settler  of  this  vicinity,  having  taken  up  his  residence 
across  the  river  in  Missouri  over  furty-fixc  years  ago,  and  his  large 
farm  still  being  situated  there.  He  has  arrived  at  a  creditable  degree 
of  prosperity  through  his  own  efforts,  and  is  a  strictly  self-made  man. 
He  began  life  bv  working  for  wages  and  gradually  got  ahead  in  the 
world,  until  by  his  con.stant  diligence  and  economy  he  had  a  working 
ca])ital  and  has  since  made  ample  pr(i\-ision  fur  bis  own  declining  years 
and  done  much  for  his  family.  Mr.  Hurst  has  all  the  substantial  qual- 
ities of  citizenship  which  form  the  strength  of  a  great  nation,  and  his 
capable  performance  of  the  duties  connected  with  bis  individual  career, 
with  his  responsibilities  as  head  of  a  faniil}'.  and  as  a  member  of  so- 
ciety- and  a  unit  of  the  community  and  state,   furnishes  good  grounds 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  221 

for  the  esteem  in  which  lie  is  e\-er\\vhere  held  by  his  friends  and  as- 
sociates. 

Mr.  Hurst  was  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio.  September  13, 
1S42.  His  grandfather,  Levi  Hurst,  was  of  Scotch  stock  and  probably 
a  nati\-e  of  Scotland.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  came  to 
America  in  an  earlv  day,  mmino-  from  the  place  of  his  first  settlement, 
in  [Maryland,  to  Chilliccitlie,  Ohi",  in  1798,  where  he  died  in  1856,  at 
the  age  nf  ninety-two  years,  and  his  wife  died  several  years  later,  at 
the  age  of  ninet\--three.  They  lip.d  begun  life  \-ery  humbly,  grandmoth- 
er Hurst  having  been  married  in  her  bare  feet,  Init  they  were  strong 
atifl  industrious  and  in  time  gained  a  fair  share  of  this  \\'orld's  goods,  as 
well  as  the  esteem  of  all  within  the  circle  nf  their  influence.  There 
large  family  of  sons  and  daughters  settled  in  different  states  of  the 
west,  in  Indiana,  Iowa  and  [Missouri.  Levi  Hurst  was  a  fine  fiddler,  and 
furnished  many  hours  of  ])Ieasure  to  the  family,  and  especially  tn  [Mr. 
Hurst's  father,  who  was  a  natural  dancer.  But  when  about  thirty  years 
of  age  he  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodist  church.  After  this 
his  religions  feelings  led  him  to  believe  that  the  fiddle  was  an  unholy 
thing  and  a  temptation  to  the  spirit,  so  notwithstanding  the  almost  tear- 
ful remonstrances  of  his  son,  he  kindled  a  fire  on  the  hearth  and  placed 
the  beloved  instrument,  for  which  he  paid  a  large  sum  of  money,  in  the 
dames,  for  conscience's  sake. 

James  Hurst,  the  father  of  Charles  P..  Hurst,  was  born  on  the  Isle 
(if  Man,  December  7,  170 [.  His  first  wife  was  Betsey  Williams,  who 
died  leaving  the  follo\\  ing  four  children:  \\'illiam  E.,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  and  died  in  Holt  county,  Missouri,  in  1888,  at  an  advanced  age, 
leaving  four  sons  and  one  tlaughter;  Betsey  .\nn,  wife  of  Palmer  Low, 
in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  the  mother  of  one  son  and  rme  daughter;  Caro- 
line, the  widow  of  Hiram  Crenshaw,  but  bv  her  first  husband,  JMadison 


222  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Shackleford,  a  Methodist  minister,  slie  had  six  children ;  and  Henry  H., 
who  died  in  Clrand  Junction,  Tennessee,  and  was  twice  married,  having 
had  one  son  and  two  daughters  by  In's  first  wife.  In  1822,  when  thirty- 
one  }ears  of  age,  James  Hurst  married  Ehzabetli  Sly,  aged  sixteen,  who 
was  hnrn  in  \\'est  Virginia,  June  30,  1806.  Her  father,  Henry  Sly, 
was  a  German  farmer,  who  ne\er  talked  good  English,  who  was  mar- 
ried in  Ohio,  and  who  lost  his  wife  at  the  age  of  fifty,  she  having  been 
a  midwife  and  ha\-ing  worn  herself  out  by  attendance  on  the  sick.  James 
Hurst  and  wife  had  fourteen  children.  One  son  died  in  infancy,  and 
Moses  and  Jesse  died  in  boyhood,  the  former  having  been  killed  by  a 
falling  tree  at  the  age  of  five.  The  other  sons  and  daughters  grew  up, 
as  follows  :  James  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  soon  after  his  marriage: 
Thomas  M.,  born  in  Ohio  about  1825,  was  a  brick  and  stone  mason 
and  died  in  Otoe  county,  Nebraska,  in  1898,  having  had  twelve  chil- 
dren; Harriet,  the  widow  of  Joseph  Brusha.  lives  in  Washington  state, 
and  has  seven  children;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  E.  Drummins,  of 
Worth  county,  Missouri,  and  has  seven  living  children,  having  lost 
three;  Elliott  S.  is  a  stock  rancher  of  Idaho  and  has  six  children;  Ezra 
M.  is  a  fruit  farmer  of  Hollywood,  California,  and  had  twelve  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living:  Mary  J.  is  the  wife  of  George  Johnston,  of 
\'ernon  county,  Missouri,  and  has  four  sons;  Charles  B.  is  next  of  the 
children;  Josejih  P.  is  a  farmer  of  Chetopa,  Kansas,  and  has  his  sec- 
ond wife,  ha\-ing  eight  children  I)y  his  two  wives;  Cynthia  D.  is  the 
widow  of  William   Pugh  and  lives  in   Nebraska   City;  Matilda  died  in 

1853- 

The  family  left  Ohio  in  1852  and  came  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
\\here  thev  lived  two  years.  The  father  owned  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  and  was  a  leading  stockman,  t)ut  met  reverses  and  sold  out  at 
seven  dollars  an  acre.     He  then  came  to  Atchison  countv,  Missouri,  and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  223 

altliougii  in  Iiis  sixty-second  year,  worked  at  liis  trade  of  brick  and 
stone  mason,  and  tnok  contracts,  Iniilding  tlie  first  three  brick  houses 
in  Atchison  county.  He  died  in  that  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-eiglit 
years  less  nine  days,  and  his  widow  died  tliere  in  Fel)ruary,  i8()r.  at 
tlie  age  of  eighty-fi\-e. 

Cliarles  Pi.  Hurst  was  ten  years  old  when  the  family  came  to  ]\Iis- 
siiuri,  and  the  schooling  which  it  was  his  pri\-ilege  to  receive  was  very 
limited  in  c|uantity  and  deficient  in  quality,  but  he  learned  to  rearl  and 
cijilier,  and  has  always  l)cen  a  good  speller.  He  remained  at  home  un- 
til he  reached  his  majority,  and  was  then  with  a  threshing  outfit  for  a 
time,  and  in  the  fall  of  1S63  engaged  in  iierding  and  feeding  cattle  in 
Doniphan  county.  Kansas,  at  the  wage  of  a  dollar  a  day.  He  worked 
for  the  firm  of  Fisher,  Warner  and  Piatt  for  two  hundred  and  forty- 
two  da}'S,  in  rain  and  shine.  Sundays  too,  and  ne\'er  missed  a  day.  He 
then  fed  hogs  for  three  months  at  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  day.  after  which 
he  worked  on  the  home  farm  for  a  year.  In  1869,  a  few  }-ears  after  he 
iiegan  married  life,  he  bought  a  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  in  Missouri, 
across  the  rix'er  from  Brownx'ille,  at  al)out  five  dollars  an  acre,  and  later 
purchased  two  hundred  acres  at  twenty-four  dollars  an  acre.  This  is 
the  land  on  which  he  has  worked  out  his  career  as  a  farmer,  and  it  is 
now  worth  sc\ent)--fi\c  dollars  an  acre.  There  are  two  sets  of  buildings 
on  his  land,  anrl  the  entire  ])ro]ierty  is  \aluable  and  brings  in  large  an- 
nual returns.  Plis  home  place  in  Peru  consists  of  a  nice  and  comfort- 
able residence  and  two  acres  of  land,  most  of  which  is  in  orchard. 

April  8.  ]^(>(i.  Mr.  Hurst  was  married  in  A.tchison  county  to  Miss 
Carobn.e  .\.  Rich,  who  was  born  in  Bureau  county.  Illinois.  February  7, 
184(1.  Her  ])arents.  Washington  and  Seline  (  Prowance )  Rich,  were 
farmers,  and  mo\ed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois,  where  the  former 
died,  and  his  \\idow  and  her  ten  children  then  came  to  Atchison  county, 


224  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Missouri.  Tlie  following  cliiklreii  lia\-e  lieen  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hurst:  Lindley  S.  is  a  teacher  and  farmer,  living  at  home  in  Peru: 
Findley  D.  is  a  farmer  in  Xodaway  county,  ^fissouri.  and  has  five  chil- 
dren ;  Mary  S.  is  in  the  Peru  normal  and  perparing  herself  for  a  teach- 
er: Sophia  S.  is  the  wife  of  Glenville  X.  Coon,  manager  of  a  lumber 
yard  in  Osceola.  Xeliraska :  P)eniamin  B.  is  a  teacher  in  Harvard,  X'e- 
braska.  being  a  graduate  of  the  business  department  of  the  Tarkio  ( Mis- 
souri) College:  Calista  A.  is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1906  in  the 
Peru  normal.  The  beloved  mother  of  this  family  died  on  the  farm  in 
Atchison  county,  ^Missouri,  in  1891,  at  the  age  <•>{  fortv-four.  She  was 
a  woman  of  noble  character  and  attrilmtes,  and  was  not  onh-  a  re\-ere(l 
personage  in  her  family  circle  hwi  was  a  favorite  among  her  many  as- 
sociates and  friends.  She  and  her  luusband  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
ixlist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  is  a  trustee  of  the  church  in  Peru. 


SPTADRACH  ^I.  CHAFFIX. 

Shadrach  M.  Chaffin,  farmer  and  veterinarian  of  Humboldt,  Rich- 
ardson county,  is  an  old  and  well  known  settler  of  Southeastern  Xe- 
braska.  He  first  became  acquainted  with  this  county  in  1858,  and  has 
resided  here  continuously  since  the  12th  of  August,  1861,  on  which 
date  he  arrived  from  Holt  county,  Missouri.  Xebraska  was  not  yet  a 
state  and  was  indeed  a  wild  country  compared  to  its  present  highly  civil- 
ized condition,  and  its  many  changes  and  steps  of  development  are 
phdtographed  on  the  mind  and  engrafted  in  the  experience  of  Mr.  Chaf- 
hn,  who  has  himself  been  intimately  identified  with  the  life  and  times 
in  which  he  has  lived  for  o\'er  forty  }ears. 

Mr.   Chaffin   was  born   in   Scioto   county,   Ohi<i,    -\ugust    12,    1833, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  225 

so  that  he  is  now  past  the  Psalmist's  Hiiiit  of  tliree  score  and  ten  years, 
yet  is  able  to  do  a  day's  \vorl\  and  perform  liis  part  of  the  obligations  of 
life  with  much  of  the  zeal  of  youth.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's 
Ohio  farm,  and  remained  with  his  parents  till  after  he  \\as  grown.  His 
schooling  was  meager  and  acquired  in  the  primitixe  log  schoolhouse 
such  as  was  marked  out  for  the  temple  of  learning  in  the  early  part  of 
the  last  century.  From  the  age  of  si.xteen  he  was  constantly  engaged 
in  farm  labor,  and  has  had  an  increasing  ratio  of  success  in  all  the 
years  that  have  followed.  In  1835  he  left  Ohio  and  moved  to  Holt 
county,  Missouri,  and  five  years  later  arrived  in  Nebraska.  For  thirty 
years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  near  Salem,  and  in  1S91  he  took  up 
his  abode  on  his  present  nice  homestead,  a  part  rif  which  lies  within  the 
corporate  limits  of  the  town  of  Humboldt.  Besides  working  with  profit 
his  small  farm  he  follows  the  vocation  of  stock  doctor,  and  is  well  known 
for  liis  connection  with  both  pursuits. 

Mr.  Chaffin  is  a  Republican  in  pi:)litics.  but  has  nourished  no  spe- 
cific aml)ition  to  leave  the  rank  and  file  of  the  party  and  attain  office. 
He  has  served  on  the  city  council  of  Humboldt  for  three  terms,  and 
is  known  as  a  public-spirited  and  enterprising  citizen.  Fie  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  and  he  is  a  firm  advocate 
of  llie  temperance  cause. 

September  25,  1864,  Mr.  Chaftrn  was  married  to  INHss  Lucinda  O. 
Pierce,  who  was  born  in  \'ermont,  November  19,  1847,  a  daughter  of 
Daniel  \V.  and  Lucy  Edwin  Pierce,  both  natives  of  A'ermont.  Her 
father  was  a  cabinet-maker,  who  mo\-ed  to  \\'aterIoo,  ^^'isconsin,  in 
1857,  and  died  in  1899,  in  the  same  week  with  the  death  of  his  oldest 
son,  Daniel  \\'.  The  family  had  come  to  Nebraska  in  1858  and  twenty 
years  later  had  gone  to  the  state  of  Washington,  where  Mrs.  Chaffin's 
mother  died  in  i8qi.    ]\'Irs.  Chaffin  remained  at  home  until  her  marriage. 


226  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

which  was  celebrated  in  Brown  county,  Kansas.  Eight  cliildren  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chaftin,  as  follows:  George  is  an  office  man  in 
the  employ  of  the  Great  Northern  Railroad,  and  has  a  wife,  one  son  and 
thiee  daughters;  Francis  died  at  the  age  of  one  year;  Ettie,  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Charles  C.  Pool,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  leaving 
six  children;  Mrs.  Lucinda  Belle  Corn,  a  widow  with  three  children, 
resides  with  her  parents;  Edgar  E.  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Mrs. 
Lucy  Boss,  in  Humboldt,  has  one  daughter;  Miss  Mary  is  at  home 
and  in  the  employ  of  the  telephone  company,  and  also  sings  and  plays 
well ;  the  eighth  child,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy. 


PHILIP  JENKINS. 

Philip  Jenkins,  one  of  the  well  known  and  much  esteemed  citizens 
of  Pawnee  City,  Nebraska,  was  born  December  6,  1821,  in  Onondaga 
county,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Christopher  and  Minnie  (Howard) 
Jenkins,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  New'  York.  The  father  descended 
from  three  brothers  of  the  name  who  came  to  America  from  England, 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  father  died  in  1847  ^^  Lacon, 
Illinois,  aged  fifty-two  years,  the  mother  dying  in  1840,  in  Morgan 
county,  Illinois.  By  trade  Christopher  Jenkins  was  a  carpenter.  He 
lived  an  honest,  upright  life  and  died  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Our  subject's  parents  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom  still 
survive. 

Philip  Jenkins  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  fathers  home,  in  1839 
coming  with  his  parents  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  and  later  to  Wood- 
ford county.  He  was  one  of  the  loyal  citizens  who  responded  to  the 
call  of  President  Lincoln  for  troops,  and  enlisted  for  service  on  August 


PHILIP  JENKINS 


MRS.  PHILIP  JENKINS 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  227 

13.  1862,  in  Company  C,  Seventy-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  Colonel  D.  P.  Grier.  His  term  of  service  covered  eighteen 
months,  and  during  that  period  he  participated  in  the  Yazoo  expedition, 
was  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  New  Orleans  and  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  army  on  the  Texas  coast.  On  one  occasion,  when  the 
flag  bearer  was  struck  down,  Mr.  Jenkins  gallantly  seized  the  banner 
and  carried  it  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  For  his  bravery  on  the  field 
of  battle  he  was  promoted  from  second  to  first  lieutenant,  and  doubtless 
would  have  received  further  recognition  had  not  domestic  trouble  caused 
him  to  resign  and  return  to  his  home.  During  his  absence  two  of  his 
little  children  were  taken  sick  and  died,  both  being  buried  in  the  same 
grave.  The  prostration  of  their  mother  caused  such  serious  illness  that 
her  devoted  husband  felt  that  his  place  of  duty  was  at  her  side. 

Mr.  Jenkins  was  married  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  February  i, 
1846,  to  ]\Iiss  Malinda  Sweet,  who  was  born  in  Morgan  county,  Illinois. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Phelig  and  Abigail  (Bardeen)  Sweet,  natives  of 
New  York,  who  settled  in  Illinois,  where  both  died.  The  three  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenkins  are:  E.  M.,  of  Byron,  Thayer  county, 
Nebraska;  Lola  M..  wife  of  Niel  Duncan,  of  Pawnee  city;  and  Myrtle, 
wife  of  J.  H.  Phelps,  of  Wilsonville,  Nebraska.  The  two  children  who 
died  in  Illinois  were:  Abraham  Lincoln,  aged  three  years,  and  Philip  J., 
a  babe. 

Mr.  Jenkins  came  to  Nebraska  in  1878  and  located  in  Brownville 
for  eighteen  months,  then  went  to  Alexandria  and  remained  until  1883. 
For  the  following  two  years  he  was  at  Tobias,  and  in  1885  located  in 
Ohiowa,  Fillmore  county.  From  1878  to  1893  he  successfully  followed 
the  lumber  business.  In  1894  Mr.  Jenkins  came  to  Pawnee  city.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  is  the  oldest  member  of  the  John  Ingham 
Post  No.  95,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Pawnee  city.     For  forty- 


228  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

eight  years  he  lias  been  a  Mason.  He  belongs  to  the  Baptist  churcli. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenkins  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  m  Pawnee  city 
in  1896. 


ALFRED   PAGE. 

Alfred  Page,  of  section  28,  Grant  precinct,  near  Dawson,  Richard- 
son county,  is  identified  with  the  best  traditions  and  highest  develop- 
ment of  agricultural  enterprise  and  public-spirited  citizenship  in  this 
rich  and  beautiful  section  of  Southeastern  Nebraska.  For  forty-five 
years  he  has  given  faithful  attention  to  his  life  pursuits  on  the  govern- 
ment land  that  he  took  up  when  he  came  here,  and  his  management  and 
toil  have  been  so  effecti\-ely  directed  that  now  for  several  years  he  has 
lived  in  retirement  on  his  beautiful  homestead,  free  to  spend  some  time 
before  and  all  his  life  after  his  sixty-eighth  birthday  in  wholesome  ease 
befitting  strenuous  endeavor  during  the  fulness  of  manly  vigor.  Mr. 
Page  has  been  prominent  and  influential  in  the  affairs  of  his  community 
as  well  as  successful  in  material  circumstances,  and  has  been  honored 
with  of^ces  of  trust  and  responsibility  and  has  given  a  due  share  of 
his  time  and  attention  to  matters  concerning  politics,  religion  and  insti- 
tutions of  county  and  state. 

This  well  known  Nebraska  citizen  was  born  in  Monroe  county, 
Kentucky,  on  Christmas  day,  1835.  His  father,  Samuel  Page,  was  a 
nati\'e  of  Tennessee,  and  was  r.ccidentally  killed  in  the  woods  when 
his  son  Alfred  was  five  years  old.  There  were  two  other  sons.  B.  W. 
Page  came  to  Richardson  county  in  1859,  and  died  in  Nemaha  precinct 
in  1879,  following  his  wife  in  death  and  leaving  seven  living  children. 
He  was  born  in  1832,  was  a  stock  farmer,  and  served  in  the  state  legis- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  229 

lature.     Tlie  otlier  son,  Elijali,  is  a  miner  in  Wasliington  and  Montana, 
and  IS  a  bachelor. 

Alfred  Page  was  reared  by  kind  god-parents,  but  had  only  meager 
tpportunities  for  gaining  an  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  left 
home  and  went  to  Missouri,  wdiere  he  followed  farming  mainly,  in 
Sullivan  and  Holt  counties,  and  in  November,  1859,  arrived  in  Ne- 
braska. He  tciok  up  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land, 
the  same  tract  that  comprises  his  present  farm,  but  how  vastly  changed 
and  improved  since  he  first  occupied  it  only  he  and  his  oldest  neighbors 
can  picture.  In  addition,  at  present,  he  also  owns  a  timber  lot  of  twenty 
acres,  and  lie  has  sold  two  otlier  farms  in  this  state.  His  first  house 
here  was  erected  of  logs  that  he  hewed  out  of  the  timber  with  his  own 
hand.  But  in  spite  of  this  being  a  very  primitive  and  rude  house,  he 
had  one  equipment  which  was  in  advance  of  his  neighbors'  houses  and 
for  wdiich  he  had  to  endure  much  good-natured  chaffing  from  his  neigh- 
bors. This  "style"  wh.ich  was  the  object  of  so  much  attention  and  wdt 
consisted  in  glass  windows  for  his  house,  and  they  were  the  first  in 
the  neighborhood.  The  pleasant  frame  house  which  is  now  the  family 
home  was  built  in  1867,  and  a  fine  red  barn  was  completed  in  1897. 
There  are  also  a  cow  house  and  hog  Iiouse  and  all  other  improvements 
needed  by  the  up-to-date  farmer.  Mr.  Page  also  planted  the  hedge 
around  the  entire  quarter  section.  At  an  early  day  he  carried  from  the 
bottoms,  on  his  shoulder,  a  bundle  of  one  hundred  and  twentv-one  cot- 
tonw'ood  and  soft  maple  sprouts,  and  during  the  years  since  they  were 
planted  they  grew  into  large  trees,  from  which  were  sawed  much  of 
the  lumber  which  went  into  the  above  mentioned  bam.  There  is  also 
a  fine  orchard  of  various  fruits,  and  the  embowered  home  is  a  scene  of 
beauty  and  coolness  and  shade  during  the  most  of  the  year.  Mr.  Page 
has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs, 


230  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  keeps  a  considerable  number  of  Ijoth  varieties  of  stock.  He  now  has 
a  tenant  on  his  farm,  to  whom  he  lias  turned  over  the  entire  operation 
and  the  management  of  the  land. 

]Mr.  Page  in  politics  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  fraternal  affiliations 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  veteran  school  di- 
rector, having  served  twenty-five  years  on  the  board.  He  was  assessor 
four  years,  and  county  commissioner  nine  years  or  three  terms,  he 
later  served  one  year  as  county  supervisor,  being  the  first  Democrat 
elected  in  the  county  to  membership  on  the  board. 

]\Ir.  Page  married,  September  26,  1856,  Miss  Elizabeth  Buchanan, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1832  and  was  reared  in  Missouri.  Her 
father,  Fielden  Buchanan,  was  a  farmer  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri,  and 
married  Miss  Eliza  Edwards,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  three 
daughters.  One  of  these  sons,  O.  A.  Buchanan,  is  a  farmer  near  Mr. 
Page,  and  came  here  in  1865,  from  the  Civil  war,  in  which  he  served 
over  four  years  as  a  soldier  from  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Page  had 
nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living:  Mollie,  the  wife  of  Frank 
Porter;  Minnie  Staley,  who  lives  in  Greenwood  county,  Kansas,  and 
has  four  living  children;  Fielden  Porter  Page,  who  is  a  liveryman  in 
Dawson  and  has  two  living  children;  Eliza  Roberts,  in  the  state  of 
Washington,  Lincoln  county,  who  has  six  daughters  and  four  sons; 
Sarah  Peatling,  of  Kansas,  who  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Julia 
Lee,  of  Nemaha  precinct,  who  has  one  son  living;  Grizell  Lawson,  of 
Kansas  City,  who  has  one  daughter;  Eva  Whitney,  who  lives  in  Liberty 
precinct  and  has  three  sons  and  one  daughter;  and  Emma,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  the  flower  and  beauty  of  young  womanhood. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  231 

WESLEY  G.  HUMMEL. 

Wesley  G.  Hummel,  of  Grant  precinct,  Richardson  county,  with 
postof!ice  at  Dawson,  is  one  of  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers 
of  this  portion  of  Southeastern  Nebraska.  He  settled  here  in  March  of 
1877,  from  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  a  few  years  later  commenced  op- 
erations on  the  bare  prairie  which  has  since  been  transformed  into  his 
beautiful  farm,  one  of  the  best  in  this  county.  Industry  aimed  at  a 
definite  end  has  been  throughout  one  of  his  principal  characteristics,  and 
thereby  he  has  attained  prosperous  condition  in  life  and  dignity  and 
wholesome  esteem  among  his  fellow  men.  When  a  boy  in  years  but  a 
man  in  patriotism  and  devotion  to  duty,  he  gave  loyal  service  to  the 
Union  cause  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  ever  since,  wherever 
he  has  lived,  he  has  been  noted  for  his  public  spirit  and  genuine  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  community,  doing  what  he  could  to  advance  the 
general  good. 

]\Ir.  Hummel  was  born  in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  8, 
1847.  His  father.  Christian  Hummel,  was  born  in  Germany,  June  11, 
1 8 10,  and  died  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  in  1896.  He  was  married  in 
Philadelphia,  March  17,  1840,  to  Miss  Barbara  Duper,  who  was  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  now  living:  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Rickert,  of  Dupage 
county,  Illinois,  and  has  two  daughters  and  one  son;  Amelia  is  the  wife 
of  Daniel  Piper,  of  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  and  has  nine  children;  Wes- 
ley G.  is  the  third ;  C.  L.,  in  Richardson  county,  has  six  children ;  F.  A., 
in  Franklin  precinct  of  this  county,  is  a  farmer;  Sarah  A.,  of  Edison 
Park,  Illinois,  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Mesner,  who  had  two  children  by  her 
deceased  sister  Catherine,  and  she  had  one  child  by  her  previous  mar- 
riage; Mary  died  in  middle  life  in  Kane  county,  Illinois;  and  Henry  L. 
lives  in  Holdrege,  Nebraska. 


232  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

]\Ir.  W.  G.  Hummel  attended  school  in  Illinois  up  to  the  time  he 
\\as  sixteen  }-ears  old,  and  then  enlisted  from  Ogle  county  in  Company 
E  of  the  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry.  He  served  two  years  and  three 
months,  until  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  rebellion  he  lived  and 
farmed  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  for  several  years,  and  in  1877  came 
to  Nebraska.  In  j88i  he  bought  a  quarter  section  of  land,  which  was 
in  the  state  of  nature,  and  in  the  subsequent  twenty-three  years  had 
devoted  his  best  efforts  to  its  profitable  culivation  and  improvement. 
He  planted  all  the  fruit  and  ornamental  trees  on  the  place.  He  built 
his  first  bouse  it:  1880,  and  the  present  large  two-story  residence  was 
erected  quite  recently,  and  the  commodious  barn  in  1899.  Each  year 
he  raises  about  seventy-five  fine  Poland  China  hogs,  and  from  thirty 
to  sixty  head  of  Polled  Angus  cattle,  which  he  has  bred  up  during  the 
past  ten  years.  He  keeps  about  ten  horses  and  tills  from  sixty  to  eighty 
acres  of  corn,  with  an  average  yield  of  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and 
also  some  twenty  acres  of  wheat. 

Mr.  Hummel  is  a  man  of  intelligence,  and  takes  an  interest  in  the 
world  about  him  as  well  as  his  immediate  daily  aft'airs  and  needs.  He 
finds  much  delight  in  collecting  things  of  antiquarian  interest,  and 
has  a  co])y  of  the  first  paper  printed  in  America,  having  bought 
it  at  the  Philadelphia  Centennial,  and  also  a  cane  made  from  the  wood 
of  the  old  ship  Consitution.  Mr.  Hummel  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  served  two 
}ears  as  county  supervisor  and  for  fourteen  years  as  school  director 
of  district  No.  92.  He  and  bis  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical church. 

Mr.  Hummel  was  married  in  Grant  precinct  November  3,  1880,  to 
]\Iiss  Helen  E.  Burr.  They  have  a  bright  and  happy  family  of  nine 
children,  some  of  whom  have  already  taken  up  life's  responsible  duties 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  233 

and  others  have  tlie  joys  of  childhood  still  before  them,  as  follows : 
Boyle,  aged  twenty-two,  is  at  home,  fanning;  Frank  Everett,  aged  twen- 
ty-one, is  at  home;  Ethel  Kate  is  a  teacher  and  at  present  a  student  in 
the  Peru  Xormal ;  Nellie  F.,  is  at  home  and  in  school;  W'ilber  Harri- 
son; W'esley  Earl;  Nannie  Pearl;  Harry  Christian;  and  Helen  Martha, 
the  babv  of  the  family. 


AHCHAEL  M  ELIZA. 

Michael  Meliza,  of  section  9,  Liberty  precinct,  near  Yerdon,  Rich- 
ardson county,  is  an  agriculturist  and  stock-raiser  of  pronounced  promi- 
nence in  this  county,  thoroughly  successful  in  his  operatiijus  and  busi- 
ness transactions,  thrift}'  and  most  enterprising  in  the  management  of 
his  place,  and  \\ithal  a  representatix-e  and  public-spirited  citizen  who 
acts  and  accomplishes  results  in  his  \-arious  dealings  for  the  benefit  not 
alone  of  himself  but  also  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  of 
which  he  is  a  most  worthy  part.  He  came  to  Rchardson  county  and  his 
present  place  twenty-two  years  ago,  on  March  4,  1882.  so  that,  while 
not  n  pioneer,  he  is  an  ok!  and  honored  resident  of  this  portion  of 
southea.stern  Neliraska. 

Mr.  ]\Ieliza  x\as  born  in  Henr}'  county,  Indiana,  April  9,  1850." 
His  grandfather  was  John  Hcnrx-  Meliza,  a  farmer  and  carpenter  in 
\'irginia,  where  he  died,  leaving  six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, who  all  had  families.  Jacolj  Meliza,  the  father  of  Michael,  was 
born  in  A'irginia,  .\pril  12,  1809,  and  died  in  Adell,  Iowa,  in  1889,  pre- 
ceded two  years  b)'  bis  wife.  He  was  a  very  successful  farmer, 
and  his  landed  estate  was  valued  at  twelve  thousand  dollars.  He  had 
also  engaged  in  merchandising,  losing  .some  six  thousand  dollars  by 
security,  wdiicb  was  the  princi])al  misfortune  that  he  met  in  his  career. 


234  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

He  married  ^Margaret  Shively,  who  was  born  in  Germany  one  year  later 
than  lier  husband,  and  came  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  be- 
ing three  montlis  on  the  voyage.  She  was  the  only  daughter,  and  her 
two  brothers  are :  Alike  Shively,  who  owns  nineteen  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  California  and  a  similar  amount  in  South  Dakota ;  and  John 
Shi\-ely,  an  able  farmer  of  Missouri.  Jacob  and  Margaret  Meliza  had 
eight  children :  Lydia  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Fike,  in  Iowa,  and  has 
three  children;  Perry  is  a  farmer  and  fruit-grower  in  Ashland^  Oregon, 
and  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Michael  is  the  third  of  the  family; 
Sophia,  wife  of  James  Trimble,  died  in  Richardson  county  in  1900, 
aged  forty-eight  years,  lea\-ing  two  sons;  Alartha  is  tlie  wife  of  W.  F. 
Hulbert,  of  Auburn,  and  has  two  daughters;  Francis  Marion  lives  in 
Iowa  and  has  one  daughter;  Melissa  is  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Shuey,  of 
Adell,  Iowa,  and  has  one  son  and  three  daughters ;  Rosa  died  at  tht 
age  of  sixteen,  in  Adell. 

Mr.  Michael  Meliza  was  reared  principally  in  Davis  county,  Iowa, 
and  his  school  advantages  in  youth  were  rather  limited.  He  worked  on 
the  home  farm,  and  when  he  started  out  for  himself  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  had  five  hundred  dollars  that  he  had  saved  from  his 
wages.  He  was  married  in  1874,  and  the'.i  began  as  a  tenant  farmer 
in  Davis  county.  Seven  years  later,  when  he  came  to  Richardson  coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  he  had  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  that  had  accrued  from 
his  industrious  labors.  He  bought  the  quarter  section  of  his  present 
homestead,  paying  sixteen  liundred  fifty  for  it.  It  was  naked  prairie  at 
that  time,  ami  all  the  present  fine  improvements  have  been  placed  here 
at  his  own  cost  and  under  his  management.  He  has  one  of  the  finest 
barns  in  the  county,  built  in  1892  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars.  It 
has  a  stone  basement,  is  painted  yellow,  with  a  cupola  on  top,  and  alto- 
gether is  one  of  the  most  commodious  and  best  equipped  structures  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  235 

its  kind  anywhere  in  the  country  around.  He  completed  his  modern, 
two-story  house  in  1899.  It  is  amply  large,  is  well  built,  and  its  invit- 
ing quarters  plus  the  genial  hospitality  that  pervades  it  all  and  the 
comfort  and  good  cheer,  for  which  the  noble  and  energetic  Mrs.  Meliza 
is  responsible,  make  this  home  one  out  of  a  hundred.  There  are  two 
fine  orchards,  of  apples  and  other  fruit,  which  Mr.  Meliza  planted.  He 
owns  another  quarter  section,  adjoining  this  place,  and  a  half  section 
in  South  Dakota.  He  keeps  a  large  herd  of  shorthorn  cattle,  and  a 
number  of  horses  and  mules  for  working  his  farm.  He  sold  forty  head 
of  cattle  in  the  fall  of  1903,  and  some  of  his  fine  cow's  have  brought  as 
much  as  eighty-five  dollars.  He  has  some  two  hundred  blooded  Poland 
China  hogs,  and  in  one  season  he  sold  three  thousand  dollars'  worth  from 
the  breeding  of  twenty  sows.  There  is  a  fine  hedge  around  the  home  quar- 
ter section,  and  half  way  round  tlie  adjoining  tract,  and  all  his  land  is 
divided  into  forty  acre  fields,  fenced  hog-tight.  Without  doubt  this 
is  one  of  the  best  cultivated,  best  managed  and  best  equipped  farms  in 
Richardson  county,  and  ^Ir.  Meliza's  pains  have  been  well  rewarded 
in  the  profitable  enterprise  he  has  built  up  since  coming  here  over  twenty 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Meliza  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  the  only  offices  he  has 
held  are  road  overseer  and  school  director.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  in  which  he  is  a  deacon. 

December  2'i>,  1874.  ]\Ir.  Meliza  married  Miss  Arminta  J.  Cham- 
berlain, who  was  born  in  Da\-is  county,  Iowa,  and  whose  family  history 
will  be  found  in  the  accompanying  liiography  of  Abraham  Zook.  Two 
children  were  born  to  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meliza.  Lem  Elmer,  born  in  Iowa 
September  16,  1875.  died  at  Hunter  Springs,  in  1900.  He  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Lincoln  University,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  employed 
bv  a  wholesale  drv-soods  firm  at  a  salarv  of  eightv  dollars  a  month. 


236         SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

He  is  buried  in  Verdon.  His  jiarents  and  sister  were  in  California  when 
he  died,  and  liis  taking  off  in  the  lieight  of  young  manhood  has  re- 
mained a  lasting  herea\ement  to  them  all.  Katie  IMeliza,  a  young  lady 
of  fourteen  years,  is  in  the  ninth  gra<le  of  the  A'erdnu  schools,  and  is 
also  taking-  musical  instruction,  having  much  talent  in  that  direction. 
Mrs.  ^[eliza  is  a  full  copartner  \\  ith  her  husband,  and  the  way  in  which 
she  keeps  up  her  end  of  the  domestic  establishment  is  most  creditable  to 
her  manv  virtues  of  heart  and  mind. 


ABRAHAM  ZOOK. 

Abraham  Zook,  a  retired  farmer  of  \''erdon,  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Indiana,  June  ^4,  183J,  shortly  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
Abraham  Zook,  who  left  his  widow  and  three  children  already  born,  as 
follows:  Daniel,  who  was  born  in  1824  and  died  near  Birmingham,  Iowa, 
in  1902;  Esther,  \\ho  was  the  wife  of  John  Hoo\-er  and  died  in  Indiana, 
leaving  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  and  Joseph,  who  is  a  retired  farmer 
of  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  and  has  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  Iowa  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  She 
kept  her  little  family  of  children  together  and  reared  them  to  be  honest 
and  industrious.  She  had  been  left  with  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  so  that  they  all  had  a  home  until  they  could  do  for  themselves. 

The  father  was  buried  in  Indiana  and  the  mother  in  Lnva.  Both 
parents  were  Brethren  in  church  faith.  When  he  was  a  child  Mr. 
Abraham  Zook  saw  his  grandfather,  John  Zook,  who  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  in  Indiana.  His  earliest  American  ancestor  was  his  great-grand- 
father, who  was  one  of  two  brothers  and  a  cousin  that  came  from 
Germany  and  settled  in   Pennsylvania. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  2^7 

Mr.  Abraham  Zook  had  only  a  limited  schooling  in  the  district 
school.  He  lived  at  home  until  his  first  marriage,  on  November  6, 
1851,  in  Indiana,  when  he  was  united  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Mary  A. 
Ulrich,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  in  December,  183 1,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Catherine  (Teeter)  Ulrich,  all  of  Pennsylvania.  There  were  four 
children  of  this  marriage:  Mrs.  Susanna  Price,  a  widow,  who  lives  in 
Iowa  and  has  five  children;  Martin,  of  I'alls  City,  who  has  five  children; 
Catherine,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven;  and  Oliver,  who  is  a  farmer 
two  miles  south  of  Humboldt  and  has  one  son  and  two  daughters.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  Iowa  in  187 1. 

January  2,  1S76,  Mr.  Zook  married  ]\Irs.  Mary  C.  Chamberlain, 
7ice  Wallace,  who  was  born  in  White  county,  Illinois,  September  19, 
1838.  Her  first  husband  was  Raymond  Chamberlain,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  a  farmer  of  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  the  prime  of  life  in  1873, 
leaving  three  children,  as  follows:  Mrs.  Arminta  Meliza.  wife  of  the 
prominent  Richardson  county  farmer  whose  biography  is  given  above; 
John  Calvin  Chamberlain,  who  is  an  able  farmer  of  Nuckolls  county, 
Nebraska,  and  has  five  sons  and  one  daughter;  and  Robert  Marshall 
Chamberlain,  who  bought  Mr.  Zook's  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
si.x  acres  in  Liberty  precinct  and  is  farming  it  very  successfully,  and  who 
has  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Mr.  ?-!ook  is  a  member  of  the  Brethren  church  and  his  wife  of  the 
Christian  church.  In  1897  he  paid  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
for  a  ten-acre  tract  in  Verdon,  v.-hich  was  then  a  ploughed  field,  and 
after  taking  out  a  sixty-six  foot  strip  for  a  street,  he  built  his  fine  house 
of  two  stories  and  attic,  containing  nine  rooms,  with  modern  high  ceil- 
ings and  all  the  conveniences  that  mark  the  twentieth  century  resi- 
dence. He  has  a  l)arn  twenty-four  by  thirty-two,  and  several  other 
buildings.     He  has  now  one  of  the  delightful  homes  of  A^erdon.    There 


238  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

is  a  large  lawn  before  the  house,  which  is  almost  surrounded  by  shrub- 
bery and  orchards.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  now  passing  their  old  age 
in  comfort  and  amid  surroundings  that  are  fit  rewards  for  previous 
lives  of  honorable  effort. 


W.  H.  WALKER. 

W.  H.  Walker,  justice  of  the  peace  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  is  one 
of  the  well  known  and  honored  old  settlers  of  Gage  county.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  merchants  of  Beatrice  to  operate  a  general  store,  and  he 
located  in  Gage  county  in  1867,  since  which  time  he  has  made  it  his 
home.  Judge  Walker  has  a  war  record  which  commenced  August  16, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Ninety-third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Colonel  Putman  and  Captain  Wilkerson  commanding.  Col- 
onel Putman  was  killed  at  Missionary  Ridge  and  succeeded  by  N.  C. 
Buzwell.  Mr.  Walker  participated  in  many  of  the  leading  battles  'of 
the  war,  including  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  Missionary  Ridge  and  the  famous  march  to  the  sea,  participated 
in  the  grand  review  at  W^ashington  and  was  honorably  discharded  ]\.m& 
5,  1865. 

Mr.  Walker  was  born  at  \^andalia,  Fayette  county,  Illinois,  June 
25,  1838,  a  son  of  Absalom  and  Mary  (Walker)  Walker.  Absalom 
Walker  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  coming  of  a  family  noted  for  courage  and  in- 
tegrity. The  mother  was  born  in  Illinois,  her  parents  being  early  set- 
tlers of  Fayette  county,  Illinois.  The  children  born  to  these  parents 
were:  W.  H. ;  Jeremiah,  who  died  in  the  service;  Louise,  deceased;  Ben- 
jamin F.,  also  deceased.     The  father  died  in  Illinois.     For  a  number  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASWA.  239 

years  he  was  a  prominent  fanner  and  took  active  part  in  local  affairs ; 
while  fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

After  Mr.  W.  H.  Walker  returned  to  Illinois  he  lived  for  two  years 
in  that  state  and  then  removed  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  first  working 
upon  a  stock  farm,  but  later  opened  the  first  general  store  in  Beatrice, 
Nebraska.  On  account  of  his  military  experience  he  was  made  instruc- 
tor of  military  tactics  in  the  public  schools  of  Beatrice,  and  he  is -a 
charter  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  post  of  Beatrice  and  has  held  all  the 
offices  pertaining  thereto.  While  living  in  Illinois  in  1866  he  was 
married  to  I\Iiss  Maria  Terry,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Terry.  She  died 
in  December,  1874,  leaving  four  children,  namely:  Mary  E. ;  Katy  B. ; 
Ora  B. ;  and  Cora  B.  Later  Mr.  W^alker  married  Miss  Jennie  M. 
Scott,  of  Beatrice,  and  three  children  have  been  born  of  this  union, 
namely:  Pearl,  Eddie  and  \\"illiam  H.,  Jr.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  is  very  popular. 
His  wife  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  which  Mr. 
\\^alker  also  attends.  He  is  a  man  who  has  won  his  way  through  his 
own  unaided  efforts,  and  he  can  well  be  proud  of  his  record  both  as  a 
business  man  and  a  soldier.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  in 
various  minor  offices.  In  January,  1902,  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  and  January,  1904,  was  re-elected  to  same  office. 


J.  W.  ASHENFELTER. 

J.  W.  Ashenfelter.  chief  of  police  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  and  one 
of  the  leading  men  of  that  city,  was  elected  to  that  responsible  office  in 
the  spring  of  1901.  Chief  Ashenfelter  was  bom  in  Jo  Daviess  county, 
Illinois,  in  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Ashenfelter,  a  native  of  Mont- 


240  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

gomery  county,  Penns}I\-aiiia,  wiio  came  of  Cierman  ancestors  and  was 
a  miller  by  trade.  He  married  Margarette  Weeks,  born  in  Huntington 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  parents  came  to  Illinois  in  1852,  settling  in 
Ogle  county,  whence  tliey  removed  to  Jo  Daviess  count}-,  and  later 
moved  to  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  But  in  1859  they  returned  to  Illinois, 
and  in  1865  moved  to  Iowa  and  in  1866  moved  to  Chercikee  county, 
K'ansas,  and  in  the  fall  of  1S66  the  father  went  back  to  Washington 
county,  Iowa.  From  1870  to  1877  he  lived  in  Richardson  county  Ne- 
braska, and  later  settled  at  Turner,  Oregon.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  and  his  wife  died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  Both  belonged  to  the  German  Baptist  church.  Five  children 
were  born  to  these  parents,  four  of  whom  grew  up,  namely :  John  \V. ; 
Auna  Lichty,  of  Falls  City,  Nebraska;  Elizabeth,  of  Oregon;  Jacob  B., 
of  Turner,  Oregon. 

Mr.  J,  W.  Ashenfelter  was  reared  and  educated  in  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Kansas  and  Nebraska,  as  his  father  moved  from  one  place  to  the  other, 
and  he  at  the  same  time  learned  the  trade  of  miller  from  his  father.  He 
was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Lucinda  Z.  Carter,  of  Falls  City,  Nebraska, 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  James  Carter,  now  deceased,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war.  Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Ashenfelter, 
namely;  Ellsworth,  who  is  cashier  in  Klin's  store  of  Beatrice;  J.  Levett, 
traveling  salesman;  John  A.,  a  railroad  man;  and  \^iola.  Mr.  Ashen- 
felter is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 
fo  U'nited  Workiuen.  In  his  official  capacity  he  displays  great  effi- 
ciency, but  he  has  held  positions  of  like  character  before,  having  served 
as  deputy  sheriff  of  Gage  county  for  four  years.  He  located  in  Gage 
county  on  October  20,  1881,  although  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Ne- 
braska for  thirty-three  years.  His  force  at  present  consists  of  himself, 
ex-chief  J.   T.   More,  an  able  officer  with  a  good  record,  and   W.   G. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  241 

Hall,  also  a  most  excellent  official.     The  police  justice  is  J.  A.  Callison, 
who  is  noted  for  his  just  decisions,  which  seldom  are  overruled. 


WILLIAM  M.  TAYLOR. 

William  M.  Taylor,  commander  of  Scott  Post  No.  37,  Blue  Springs, 
Nebraska,  and  district  commander  of  southeastern  Nebraska,  is  one  bf 
the  best  known  men  in  this  section  of  country,  and  is  also  a  distinguished 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  His  enlistment  took  place  in  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  15,  1863,  when  he  entered  Company  A, 
Twenty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  under  Captain  Morgan  and 
Colonel  Greenfield.  After  nine  months'  .service  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, but  he  veteranized  on  January  27,  1864,  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  again  honorably  dis- 
charged, and  left  the  service  with  an  excellent  record,  although  much  of 
his  service  consisted  in  skirmish  and  guard  duty. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1843,  '^"'i  ^^  'was  a  son  of  Isaac  Taylor,  born  in  Todd,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Isaac  was  a  son  of  John,  a  native  of  Germany.  Isaac  Taylor 
was  reared  in  Pennsylvania  and  there  married  Nancy  Elias,  who  was 
born  in  Todd,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Elias,  also  of  German  descent. 

Our  subject  received  an  excellent  education  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
he  then  studied  for  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  church,  his  first  charge 
being  the  circuit  in  Fulton  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  transferred 
from  one  place  to  another,  and  from  Pennsylvania  was  transferred  on 
account  of  ill  health  to  Nebraska,  being  the  only  preacher  in  Frontier 
county  for  two  years.  After  several  changes  he  finally  was  located  at 
Blue  Springs,  and  had  charge  of  the  Methodist  church  there  for  two 


242  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

years,  when  he  retired  from  the  ministry,  and  has  since  then  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming. 

When  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  was  married  in  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Miss  Jennie  Dunlet  and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Donald  and  Mary 
Dunlet.  Mrs.  Taylor  died,  leaving  one  child,  Alvah  O.,  of  Helena,  Mon- 
tana. Mr.  Taylor  married  in  Jefferson  county,  Pennsylvania,  February 
12,  1874,  Lydia  F.  Wilson,  a  daughter  of  Captain  John  G.  Wilson  and 
Amanda  F.  Wilson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  had  the  following 
children  Belle  W. ;  C.  B.,  of  Sheridan,  Wyoming;  Denver  W.,  of 
Sheridan,  Wyoming;  Eric  A.,  of  Oketo,  Kansas;  Mary  D.,  of  Gage 
county;  Lawrence  E.  at  school;  Lulu  A.  at  school;  and  the  youngest  a 
boy  in  school. 

For  thirty-three  years  Mr.  Taylor  has  been  a  Mason,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  has  been 
very  active  in  the  latter  organization.  He  has  also  been  prominent  in 
Republican  politics,  and  served  as  police  judge  of  Blue  Springs,  notary 
public  for  six  years,  and  always  lends  his  influence  towards  the  meas- 
ures he  believes  best  for  the  development  and  advancement  of  the  citv. 
As  a  religious  worker,  he  has  always  been  zealous,  successful  and  sin- 
cere, and  while  not  now  in  charge  of  any  church,  his  thoughts  and 
efforts  are  employed  in  his  Master's  work,  and  he  is  one  of  the  pillars 
of  his  denomination,  and  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  examples  of 
a  devoted  Christian  man  and  loyal  citizen. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  243 

GEORGE  LUM. 

George  Lum,  dealer  in  lumber,  was  the  first  business  man  to  estab- 
lish himself  in  Verdon,  where  he  settled  and  began  his  prosperous  busi- 
ness career  about  twenty-two  years  ago.  The  second  man  to  open  a 
shop  in  the  village  was  Charles  Oathout,  a  blacksmith,  and  the  third  was 
Hopper  and  Carroll,  general  merchandise.  Mr.  Lum  has  had  a  busy 
and  successful  life,  one  marked  with  enterprising  effort  and  good  busi- 
ness management  and  foresight,  and  he  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
public  and  material  affairs  concerned  with  the  development  of  this 
town  of  Verdon. 

He  was  born  in  Oswego  county,  New  York,  October  15,  1836, 
being  a  son  of  Ransom  Lum,  who  was  born  near  Decatur,  New  York, 
in  1797,  and  died  on  his  farm  in  Oswego  county  in  1845.  Ransom 
Lum  was  one  of  the  five  sons  and  some  three  daughters,  whose  father 
was  a  well-to-do  farmer.  Ransom  married  a  Miss  Prindle,  who 
was  a  widow  many  years  and  died  in  1880.  They  had  seven  children: 
Aurelia.  the  wife  of  O.  B.  Wright,  lives  in  Litchfield,  Michigan,  and 
has  one  son  and  one  daughter :  Julia,  the  first  wife  of  Nathaniel  Stewart, 
died  without  issue;  Abel,  at  Steinauer,  Nebraska,  has  one  son;  Clark, 
who  died  in  Verdon  in  1894,  left  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Electa, 
the  second  wife  of  Nathaniel  Stewart,  died  leaving  one  son,  Clark  A. 
Stewart,  a  physician  in  New  York ;  George  is  the  sixth  child ;  and 
Charles  died  in  his  seventeenth  year. 

Mr.  George  Lum  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  New  York  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  old.  In  1855  he  went  to  Boone  county,  Iowa,  and 
began  farming  on  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  government 
land,  which  he  bought  at  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre,  paying  in- 
terest at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent.  He  and  his  two  brothers  "batched" 
for  two  or  three  years  while  engaged  in  this  work.     One  brother  had  a 


244         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

half  section  and  another  a  quarter  section.  After  coming  to  Verdon 
in  1882  he  built  his  lumber  yard  and  office  and  sheds,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  by  twenty-six  feet,  and  his  more  recent  addition  is  fifty  by 
eighty  feet.  He  carries  a  stock  valued  at  about  six  thousand  dollars. 
The  business  at  Verdon  is  carried  on  under  the  name  of  George  Lum 
and  Son,  and  the  yard  at  Steinauer  as  M.  H.  Lum  and  Company.  Mr. 
Lum  also  owns  three  quarter  sections  of  land  in  Nebraska.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  the  first  president  of  the  first  bank  in  Verdon, 
named  the  Farmers'  State  Bank  of  Verdon,  which  is  now  the  Verdon 
State  Bank  and  is  owned  by  the  Hall  Brothers,  to  whom  it  was  sold 
sixteen  months  after  it  was  opened.  Mr.  Lum  erected  his  good  home 
in  A^erdon  in  1883,  but  he  has  since  changed  it  considerably  and  made 
a  number  of  improvements.  In  1890  he  was  one  of  a  party  of  lumber- 
men of  the  northwest  who  took  an  excursion  to  California  and  Old 
Mexico  and  many  other  points  in  the  west,  leaving  Minneapolis  in 
January  and  returning  in  March.  It  was  a  most  delightful  trip,  filled 
with  many  occasions  of  interest,  and  the  various  scenes  of  the  daily 
panorama  of  travel  from  indelible  and  happy  memory  pictures  in  Mr. 
Lum's  mind.  A  most  joyous  part  of  the  journey  was  a  ride  by  steamer 
from  Puget  Sound  to  San  Diego  in  southern  California. 

On  August  6,  1861,  Mr.  Lum  enlisted  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  for 
three  years'  service  in  the  Union  cause.  He  became  corporal  of  Com- 
pany D,  Second  Iowa  Cavalry,  and  after  thirty-seven  months  of  cam- 
paigning was  mustered  out  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  with  a  most  creditable 
record  as  a  ])atriot  and  soldier.  He  has  been  a  stanch  Republican  since 
arriving  at  majority,  although  he  usually  votes  for  the  man  he  believes 
the  best  representative  of  the  people's  interests.  He  served  as  president 
of  the  town  board  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Lum  was  married  in  Boone  county,  Iowa,  in  January,   1865, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  245 

to  Miss  Laura  E.  Shepard,  wlio  was  born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York, 
a  daughter  of  Chauncey  and  Laura  (Bristol)  Shepard,  the  former  a 
native  of  Connecticut  and  tlie  latter  of  Genesee  county,  Xew  York. 
Her  parents  were  farmers,  and  she  was  one  of  seven  children,  four 
of  whom  were  reared :  Chauncey  K.  Shepard,  who  died  in  Summer- 
town,  Tennessee;  Frances  C,  wife  of  Abel  Lum,  mentioned  above; 
Eliza  A.,  widow  of  Aiuos  Cooper,  of  Forest  City.  jNIissouri :  and  Mrs. 
George  Lum.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Lum  became  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Fred  B.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Gertrude  L.,  at  home,  who 
was  obliged  to  leave  school  on  account  of  failing  health;  Clyde  V., 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Gem  City  Business  College  and  is  in  business 
with  his  father;  Harry  C,  who  is  in  the  class  of  1907  at  Doane  Col- 
lege in  Crete,  Nebraska ;  and  Roy  E.,  who  is  in  the  same  college  and 
in  the  class  of  1908. 


MRS.  ELIZA  C.  SMITH. 

Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Smith,  a  widow  of  South  Auburn,  Nebraska,  has 
known  Southeastern  Nebraska  from  girlhood  to  the  present  time,  and 
this  state  has  been  the  theatre  of  her  worthy  and  successful  efforts  in 
combatting  with  material  things  and  winning  a  prosperity  which  few 
men  can  equal.  Both  Mrs.  Smith  and  her  mother  have  been  women 
of  unusual  energy  and  business  acumen.  Deprived  of  their  husljands 
before  provision  had  l^een  made  for  the  future  welfare  of  their  fami- 
lies, they  set  to  work,  and  Mrs.  Smith  by  her  own  unaided  effort,  to 
make  a  living  in  competition  with  the  hardier  sex.  Mrs.  Smith  was 
left  a  widow  and  in  debt  not  more  than  twenty-five  years  ago,  and 
since  then  she  has  built  up  one  of  the  finest  ranching  properties  in  west- 


246         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ern  Nebraska,  and  owns  a  model  ranch  of  large  dimensions  and  worth 
thousands  of  dollars,  besides  valuable  real  estate  and  other  property 
in  Colorado  and  in  this  part  of  the  state.  She  deserves  and  receives 
great  credit  for  what  she  has  accomplished  in  the  face  of  obstacles, 
and  she  ranks  as  one  of  the  foremost  business  women  of  the  state. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  about  fifty  years  ago. 
Her  father,  William  Smith,  wa§  born  in  London,  England,  in  April, 
1818,  and  was  married  there  in  1846  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith  (no 
relation),  who  was  born  near  London  in  1828.  They  came  to  America 
by  sailing  vessel  in  185 1,  having  a  long  and  tempestuous  voyage  of  nine 
weeks,  in  the  course  of  which  their  fourth  child  was  born,  and  buried 
in  the  sea,  and  a  little  son  also  died  on  ship,  while  their  little  daughter 
died  soon  after  landing  in  New  York.  Their  children  were  Elizabeth 
Sara,  born  December  6,  1846,  and  was  killed  in  a  sugar  cane  mill  near 
Brownville,  Nebraska;  Benjamin  John,  born  July  2,  1848,  died  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  and  was  buried  at  Howe;  Eliza  B.,  born  January  27, 
1850;  the  infant  son  mentioned  above;  Mrs.  E.  C.  Smith  is  the  fifth; 
William  B.,  born  in  Ohio,  July  28,  1855,  died  March  15,  1868.  Mr. 
William  Smith  died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  leaving  his 
widow  with  but  little  property.  In  the  spring  of  1858  she  came  to 
Brownville,  Nebraska,  and  was  soon  afterward  married  to  George 
Wheeler,  wlio  was  an  early  emigrant  from  England  of  Kansas.  There 
were  five  children  born  of  this  marriage:  Frank  Wheeler,  born  in  1859, 
is  a  farmer  near  Glen  Rock,  Nebraska;  George  Wheeler,  born  March 
15,  1862,  is  a  farmer  near  Howe,  and  has  a  large  family;  Rosa  May, 
the  \\ife  of  James  Penney,  near  Howe,  has  three  children;  and  twins 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  the  present 
home  of  Mrs.  E.  C.  Smith,  April  3,  1S97,  and  Mr.  Wheeler  died  here 
March  23.    1898,  when  about  seventy-three  years  old.     These  parents 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKlA.  247 

had  inherited  no  money,  and  the  fine  property  which  they  left  was  the 
direct  resuh  of  their  industry  and  persevering  toil.  They  owned  at 
iheir  death  a  half  section  of  land  in  two  farms,  eighteen  city  lots  and 
three  dwellings. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  reared  to  the  rugged  life  of  the  farm,  having 
been  accustomed  from  childhood  to  working  in  the  field  and  meadow 
as  well  as  in  the  house.  On  March  7,  1875,  she  was  married,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  to  John  Cochran.  They  settled  in  western  Ne- 
braska, where  their  first  and  only  child  was  born,  Daisy  Alice,  the 
wife  of  Joseph  E.  Trinnier,  in  Cheyenne  county,  Nebraska,  and  their 
two  sons  are  Marvin,  three  years  old  and  weighs  fifty  pounds,  and 
Thurston,  two  years  old  and  weighs  forty  pounds.  Mr.  Trinnier  is 
an  educated  man  and  a  great  reader,  and  is  successful  in  his  business 
enterprises. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  soon  left  a  widow  and  in  del^t,  and  in  the  emergency, 
with  the  courage  and  physical  strength  native  to  her,  she,  with  the 
help  of  her  maid  servant,  began  running  a  ranch  house  and  feeding 
station  in  Cheyenne  county,  Nebraska.  There  she  took  in  from  fifteen 
to  one  hundred  a  per  day,  and  had  soon  paid  her  debts.  Her  con- 
tinued prosperity  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  she  is  now  owner  of  a 
ranch  of  twelve  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  Besides  this  she  fenced  and 
occupied  government  land  while  she  was  running  her  stock  ranch. 
She  raised  both  cattle  and  horses,  and  had  some  fine  stock.  She  con- 
tinued the  eating  house  on  the  old  stage  route  from  Sidney  to  Black 
Hills,  at  which  she  sheltered  and  fed  both  men  and  stock.  She  was 
engaged  in  these  enterprises  for  about  seventeen  years.  She  also 
owned  another  ranch  which  she  sold  for  thirteen  thousand  dollars,  and 
she  owns  property  in  Denver  worth  ten  thousand  dollars.  At  present 
she  leases  her  ranch,  and  is  in  the  main  retired  from  active  effort,  giv- 


248  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

mg  her  attention  to  the  oversight  of  her  accumulations.  She  has  been 
able  to  retire  in  good  season  and  has  many  years  in  which  to  enjoy  the 
comforts  which  her  industry  has  given  her.  She  now  occupies  the 
place  in  South  Auburn  where  her  step- father  settled  in  1893,  consisting 
of  a  large  cottage  home,  barns  and  the  vacant  lots  across  the  street. 


JAMES   MONROE    BURRESS. 

James  Monroe  Burress,  real  estate  dealer,  and  excursion  agent  for 
the  Rock  Island  System  and  the  Missouri  Pacific,  at  Auburn,  Nebras- 
ka, is  one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  town  in  which  he  lives. 

Mr.  Burress  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  was  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant,  in  Miller  county,  October  i,  1848,  the  son  of  Missouri  par- 
ents. His  father,  Thomas  Burress,  AVas  born  in  Hickory  county, 
^Missouri,  in  1826,  and  died  at  Glen  Rock,  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska, 
in  February.  1897.  Andrew  Jackson  Burress,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Mis- 
souri, where  he  died  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  Grandmother 
Burress  was  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  She  lived  to  be  over  se\'enty  years 
of  age,  and  died  in  Windsor,  Missouri.  Their  children  were:  Thomas; 
Burrel  G.,  who  died  in  Pueblo,  Colorado;  John  W.,  who  died  in  Se- 
dalia,  Missouri,  in  March,  1903,  leaving  one  son  and  two  daughters; 
j.uncs  IMonroe,  of  Windsor,  ]\Iissouri,  has  a  wife  and  two  daughters; 
Andrew  Jjickson,  of  Glen  Rock,  Nebraska;  Polly,  wife  of  Sylvester 
Cotton;  and  Sarah,  wife  of  W.  J.  Livingston,  of  \\^indsor,  Missouri. 

Thomas  Burress,  the  eldest  of  the  abo\e  named  family,  married 
Charlotte  Williams,  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Missouri,  about  1847.  The 
only  child  of  this  union  was  James  Monroe,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASK?A.  249 

and  tlie  young  mother  died  when  lie  was  three  months  old,  leaving 
him  to  the  care  of  his  grandmother,  with  whom  he  remained  five  years, 
until  his  father  married  again.  For  his  second  wife  the  father  married 
Julia  A.  .Swift,  who  hore  him  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, namely:  John  G..  a  grain  merchant  of  Cook,  Nebraska,  is  married 
and  has  a  family  of  two  sons  and  two  daughters ;  Nancy  F.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  Sarah,  wife  of  J.  N.  Simmons,  of  Glen 
Rock,  Nebraska,  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  B.  N..  a  miller  and 
merchant  of  Auburn,  has  four  sons  living;  and  Charlotte  L.,  who 
resides  with  her  mother,  the  latter  being  now  past  seventy-five  years 
of  age. 

James  Monroe  Burress  passed  his  days  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  much  as  other  Missouri  boys  of  that  time,  attending  the  district 
school.  Then,  in  1863,  with  the  consent  of  his  father,  he  hired  to  a 
neighbor  to  drive  cattle  to  Denver  and  Central  City,  Colorado,  receiv- 
ing as  compensation  his  board  and  twenty  dollars  per  month.  This 
trip  consumed  three  months  and  twenty  days,  was  attended  with  some 
interesting  experiences,  and  brought  to  him  not  only  a  good  time  but 
also  good  health,  for  he  was  far  from  being  a  rugged  boy  when  he  left 
home.  He  followed  this  business  of  diiving  cattle  west  for  three  sum- 
mers, sometimes  receiving  as  high  as  seventy-five  dollars  per  month. 
At  one  time  his  party  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  made  an  at- 
tempt to  rob  their  wagons.  Fortunately,  just  at  this  time,  a  band  of 
scouts  or  soldiers  were  seen  approaching  in  the  distance,  and  the  red 
men  made  a  hasty  retreat. 

Mr.  Burress  married,  March  i,  1870,  in  Nebraska,  Miss  Louise 
Bourlier,  who  was  born  in  Ripley  county,  Ohio,  in  185 1,  daughter  of 
James  Bourlier,  a  native  of  France.  Mr.  Bourlier  was  a  farmer.  He 
came  with  his  familv  by  boat  from  Ohio  to  Nebraska  in  i860.     It  was 


250  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

in  1856  that  the  Burress  family  came  to  Nebraska.  James  Bourher 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years,  on  his  farm,  near  Julian,  in 
Nemaha  county,  and  his  wife  died  about  four  years  later,  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, as  follows :  Frederick  Bourlier,,  who  lives  on  a  farm  near  the  old 
home,  has  four  sons  and  three  daughters;  Kate  Bretty,  a  widow  resid- 
ing in  northwestern  Nebraska;  Emile  Bourlier,  of  Oklahoma,  has  two 
sons  and  one  daughter;  Mrs.  Burress;  Ellen  Handley;  Fanny  Tobin, 
of  Sidney,  Nebraska,  has  a  daughter  and  one  son ;  August  Bourlier,  on 
the  old  homstead;  and  James  Bourlier,  a  farmer  at  Fort  Worth. 

Mr.  Burress  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  improved  with  build- 
ings, etc.,  at  Glen  Rock,  Nebraska;  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  well 
improved,  in  Custer  county,  Oklahoma,  and  eighty  acres  in  Wyoming. 
He  is  vice  president  of  the  Hart  Mountain  Oil  &  Development  Com- 
pany, organized  to  operate  in  the  Big  Horn  basin,  Wyoming.  He  re- 
sides in  Auburn,  in  a  beautiful  residence  on  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Fifth  avenues. 

Politically  Mr.  Burress  is  a  Republican,  and  at  various  times  has 
served  in  local  office,  ever  performing  his  public  service  with  fidelity. 
In  the  fall  of  1891  he  was  elected  county  clerk,  and  then  re-elected, 
serving  two  terms.  Also  he  filled  the  offices  of  road  overseer,  assessor 
and  constable.  At  one  time  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  state 
senator,  on  the  independent  ticket,  but  was  defeated.  Fraternally  Mr. 
Burress  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason,  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a 
Modern  Woodman.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Burress  are  members  of  the 
Presbvterian  church. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  251 

JOHN  PAOIER. 

John  Palmer,  who  is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Namaha 
county,  Nebraska,  with  his  productive  and  beautiful  farmstead  situated 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  Peru,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
section  of  Southeastern  Nebraska  for  thirty-five  years,  ever  since  1869. 
He  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  January  9,  1839. 

His  father,  John  Palmer,  was  born  in  the  same  place,  and  was  one 
of  the  sturdy  yoemanry  of  England,  and  was  an  industrious  farmer 
there,  but  was  in  poor  circumstances  when  he  decided  to  come  to 
America  in  1857.  He  and  his  family  embarked  on  the  ship  George 
Washington,  and  were  twenty-four  days  en  route  to  Boston,  whence  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  where  his  family  joined  him.  He  worked  for  some 
time  as  a  farm  hand,  and  was  also  a  tenant  farmer  for  about  four 
years.  He  then  went  to  the  mountains  of  Idaho,  but  in  1869  came  to 
Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  and  was  located  for  a  time  on  Dr.  Neal's 
farm.  He  later  bought  eighty  acres  for  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  and 
this  place  is  still  owned  by  his  son  Phillip,  whose  history  will  be  found 
below  and  in  which  connection  will  be  noted  other  facts  of  the  family 
history.  The  wife  of  John  Palmer,  Sr.,  was  Eleanor  Dove,  and  their 
nine  children  were  all  born  before  they  left  England. 

John  Palmer  remained  in  the  parental  home  till  he  was  married 
and  was  also  with  the  family  in  their  various  migrations  about  the 
country,  living  in  Idaho  from  1863  to  1869.  In  the  latter  year  he  took 
up  his  home  in  Nebraska  and  later  bought  land.  He  settled  on  his 
present  place  about  seventeen  years  ago,  buying  eighty  acres  with  but 
slight  improvements,  and  he  erected  his  good  and  comfortable  house 
six  years  ago.  In  the  season  of  1902  he  had  twenty-one  hundred  and 
fifty  bushels  of  corn,  and  in  all  his  agricultural  operations  is  meeting 
with  well  deserved  success. 


252  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  married  in  April,  1861,  to  Miss  Mary  Moore, 
who  was  born  in  England,  being  five  years  her  husband's  senior,  and 
her  death  occurred  May  21,  1902,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine,  after  a  use- 
ful and  worth}-  life  of  devotion  to  her  husband  and  children  and  in 
which  she  gained  the  affection  and  regard  of  all  with  whom  she  came 
in  contact.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Henry,  who  is  a  farmer  on  Dr.  Neal's  farm  and  has  a  wife  and  two 
daughters :  Sarah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Lute  Hanaford  and  has  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son :  Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  Root  and  has  four 
daughters  and  one  son;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Carlisle  and  has 
one  daughter  and  two  sons;  Minnie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Archer  Cook 
and  has  two  sons  and  a  daughter ;  Miss  Mary,  who  has  been  her  father's 
housekeeper  since  her  mother's  death;  and  John,  at  home.  All  the 
children  had  good  educational  advantages  in  the  common  schools  and 
in  the  normal. 

PHILLIP  PALMER. 

Phillip  Palmer,  a  brother  of  John  Palmer  and  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Peru,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  November  17,  1846, 
a  son  of  John  and  Eleanor  (Dove)  Palmer,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  England  in  1806  and  died  in  Peru,  October  14,  1889,  and  the 
latter  was  born  February  2,  1812,  and  they  were  married  February 
14,  1834.  Their  nine  children  reared  to  maturity  were  all  born  in 
England,  and  they  lost  their  eldest  child,  Sarah,  born  in  1837.  They 
came  to  America  and  made  their  way  to  St.  Louis,  having  to  borrow 
money  to  reach  their  destination,  and  they  began  their  career  in  this 
country  in  humble  circumstances,  but  gradually  advanced  by  honorable 
and  industrious  efforts  to  a  fair  degree  of  material  prosperity  before 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  253 

their  lives  were  ended  in  death,  both  passing  away  within  the  same 
week. 

PhiHip  Palmer  began  working  b}'  the  month  near  St.  Louis,  re- 
ceiving only  five  dollars  a  month  at  first,  and  this  wage  was  afterward 
increased  to  six  dollars.  In  1863  he,  with  the  rest  of  the  family,  went 
by  boat  up  the  river  to  Omaha,  where  they  were  compelled  to  wait 
twelve  weeks  on  account  of  illness,  and  from  that  point  went  across 
the  plains  with  ox  teams  in  a  train  of  twenty-six  wagons  to  Salt  Lake 
City.  They  all  located  one  hundred  miles  north  of  there,  in  Idaho, 
where  one  of  the  sons-in-law  had  settled  previously,  and  there  for  six 
years  the  men  of  the  family  were  engaged  in  farming,  freighting  and 
stock-raising.  But  to  remain  there  in  peace  and  harmony  they  should 
have  been  compelled  to  turn  Mormons,  and  not  favoring  that  idea  they 
returned  to  Omaha  and  in  the  same  fall  came  to  Nemaha  county.  Phil- 
lip Palmer  still  owns  the  eighty  acres  which  his  father  located,  and  he 
made  it  his  home  until  the  fall  of  1903.  He  lost  his  right  leg  in  January, 
1900,  and  was  compelled  to  give  up  active  farming,  so  he  moved  into 
town  and  now  has  a  pretty  cottage  home  surrounded  by  five  acres 
of  land,  mostly  in  orchard  and  beautiful  evergreen  groves.  He  is  a 
Repulilican  voter,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 

April  1.2,  1886,  Mr.  P'almer,  after  with  filial  devotion  having  re- 
mained with  his  parents  for  many  years,  as  he  also  continued  to  do  until 
their  death,  was  married  to  Mrs.  Minerva  Spicer,  the  widow  of  William 
Spicer,  who  died  in  1885,  leaving  his  widow  and  three  daughters.  Mrs. 
Palmer  was  born  in  Jasper  count}-.  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  C.  C.  and 
Nancy  (\\'oIf)  Tharp,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  near  Indianapo- 
lis, Indiana,  in  1818.  and  died  March  19,  1902,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years  and  the  latter  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  'Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tharp  had  five  children  :  One  that  died  in  infancy ;  Minerva,  now  Mrs. 


254  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Palmer;  Martha,  the  wife  of  Wilson  Canning,  in  Colorado,  and  the 
mother  of  nine  children ;  Armada,  the  wife  of  Rev.  Chapman,  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Christian  church,  and  has  eight  children;  and  John  Tharp, 
in  Olkahoma  and  has  fave  children.  William  Spicer  was  a  native  of 
Delaware,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  came  to  Nebraska  before  1872 ; 
he  was  a  non-commissioned  officer  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  was  twice  wounded,  in  the  head  and  in  the  arm.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Palmer  have  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  were  educated  in  the  normal 
and  have  taught,  as  follows:  Edith  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Palmer,  a 
cousin,  and  has  two  daughters;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Lee  Parrish,  on  the 
farm  three  miles  south  of  Peru,  and  has  an  infant  son;  and  Bessie  is 
a  student  in  the  training  class  of  the  normal. 


FRANK  L.  McNOWN. 


Frank  L.  IMcNown,  who  is  serving  his  second  year  as  principal 
of  the  graded  schools  of  Peru,  is  a  young  educator  of  unusual  ability 
and  fitness  for  the  work  which  he  is  now  doing.  In  a  state  which  holds 
the  record  for  the  highest  degree  of  literacy,  the  maintenance  of  the 
standard  of  the  elementary  schools  is  of  the  highest  importance.  The 
public  schools  of  Peru  have  always  been  noted  for  their  efficiency  in 
all  departments,  and  their  progress  has  been  accentuated  by  the  higher 
institutions  of  learning  in  the  same  place,  especially  the  normal  school. 
Mr.  McNown  has  devoted  himself  with  ardor  and  enthusiasm  to  his 
work,  and  his  connection  with  the  schools  has  already  resulted  in  many 
improvements  in  system  and  detail. 

Mr.  McNown  is  a  native  son  of  Peru,  and  being  a  product  of  the 
town  and  its  educational  institutions,   he  naturallv  takes  all  the  more 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  255 

pride  in  their  welfare  and  upbnilding.  He  was  born  December  12, 
1874,  and  after  completing  the  grades  became  a  student  in  the  State 
Normal  at  Peru.  He  has  been  engaged  in  teaching  for  the  past  five 
years,  and  was  elected  to  his  position  of  principal  of  the  grade  schools 
two  years  ago.  He  has  made  rapid  ad\ancement  in  his  profession,  and 
has  a  bright  career  before  him.  Like  his  father,  he  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  fraternally  affiliates  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  the  Royal  Highlanders  and  the  Degree  of  Honor. 

Mr.  McNown  is  the  sixth  and  youngest  child  born  to  John  and 
JNIartha  (Hatton)  McNown,  the  former  deceased,  but  the  latter,  though 
at  an  advanced  age,  is  living  in  Peru,  a  nnble  type  of  southem  woman- 
hood, bright  and  pleasing  and  cheerful  in  her  age  as  she  has  been  use- 
ful and  devoted  to  family  and  home  during  her  earlier  years.  Mr. 
McNown's  grandfather,  James  INIcNown,  was  born  near  Dublin,  county 
Down,  Ireland,  about  1769,  and  he  and  his  wife  (of  the  same  name  and 
a  distant  relative)  emigrated  to  America  and  became  farmers  of  Brown 
county,  Ohio;  they  lived  to  the  respective  ages  of  eighty-four  and 
sixty-two  years,  and  were  faithful  and  esteemed  citizens  of  their  com- 
munity. They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons,  John  and  William,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  early  life,  leaving  two  children. 

John  McNown  was  born  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  May  10,  181 5, 
and  had  good  schooling  considering  the  educational  advantages  of  the 
time.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Thirty-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
having  enlisted  at  Lincoln's  second  call  for  troops,  and  while  in  the 
army  suffered  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  for  which  he  received  a  pension  of 
from  fourteen  to  thirty  dollars  a  month  during  the  rest  of  liis  life,  and 
his  widow  still  draws  twelve  dollars  a  month. 

John  McNown  was  twice  married.  In  Ohio  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Fraim,  and  tliev  came  west  to  Iowa,  where  they  spent  one  winter,  and 


256  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

in  the  spring  of  1857  dro^•e  through  to  Peru,  Nebraska,  where  she  died 
in  i860.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  all  born  before  the  re- 
moval in  Nebraska,  and  only  two  of  them  grew  up  and  none  are  now 
living.  December  4,  1862,  John  McNown  was  married  in  Ohio  to 
Miss  Martha  Hatton,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  \''irginia, 
August  18,  1830,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Delilah  Hatton,  both  of 
Scotch-Irish  nationality.  Her  father  died  in  Virginia  in  183 1,  leaving 
his  widow  and  their  only  daughter  and  child,  and  four  years  later  she 
passed  away,  in  the  meantime  having  moved  to  Brown  county,  Ohio. 
!Mrs.  McNown.  thus  orphaned,  was  reared  by  her  maternal  grand- 
parents in  Ohio,  and  enjoyed  a  fair  schooling.  She  and  her  husband 
moved  to  Peru  in  April,  1863,  and  here  she  has  resided  ever  since. 
Thev  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Calista  N.,  the  wife 
of  Dr.  T-  F-  Neal;  Florence  Nightengale,  the  wife  of  Otis  McAdams, 
of  Peru,  has  one  son;  Nannie  Marie  became  the  wife  of  Herbert  W. 
Helms,  a  native  of  New  York,  who  was  a  brick-maker  and  died  in 
Peru  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven  years,  August  16,  1898,  and  their  only 
child,  B.  Otis,  is  a  youth  of  fourteen  and  in  school  in  Peru;  John  Rich- 
ard McNown  is  a  railroad  man  in  Oregon,  and  has  a  wife  and  two  sons 
and  one  daughter;  Lula  Myrtle  is  the  wife  of  James  Grant  Smith,  of 
Peru,  and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter;  and  Frank  L.,  completes  the 
family. 


JOHN  F.  CORNELL. 

John  F.  Cornell,  of  section  9,  Liberty  township,  is  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  Richardson  county  and  has  been  prominent  as  an  agri- 
culturist and  public  man  in  county  and  state  affairs  for  a  number  of 
years.     When  he  came  to  the  state  as  a  boy  of  nine  years,  nearly  fifty 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  257 

years  ago,  Nebraska  territory  liacl  been  only  recently  organized  and  he 
has  witnessed  the  entire  growth  and  development  of  the  country  into  one 
of  the  remarkably  fertile  states  of  the  Union.  The  entire  family  has 
been  indentified  in  many  ways  with  Richardson  county,  and  the  first 
school  taught  in  Liberty  township  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Cornell's 
father,  who  was  also  the  teacher,  and,  for  many  years  following,  a 
director  of  the  school  district,  which  embraced  four  precincts,  but  had 
only  fifteen  scholars,  Salem  being  in  the  large  district.  For  many 
other  reasons  the  name  of  Cornell  is  an  honored  one  in  Richardson 
county,  and  those  who  have  borne  the  name  have  never  failed  in  the 
discharge  of  their  proper  obligations  to  themselves,  to  the  community 
and  to  all  the  institutions  of  church  and  state. 

Mr.  Cornell  was  born  in  Indiana,  February  7.  1847.  His  grand- 
father, .Smith  Cornell,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  a 
farmer  and  also  in  Maryland,  where  he  died  in  middle  life,  leaving  six 
sons :  Benjamin,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Ohio,  where  the  family  settled 
in  1836;  William;  John;  Samuel,  who  settled  in  Indiana;  Charles;  and 
Nathaniel,  an  able  minister  of  the  Lutheran  church,  located  in  New 
York.  The  father  of  these  sons  was  of  \\'elsh  descent,  and  during  the 
war  of   1 81 2  was  a  captain  in  the  American  army. 

John  Cornell,  father  of  John  F.,  was  born  in  Maryland  in  Decem- 
ber, 1808,  and  died  .January  8,  1883,  on  his  home  farm  on  section  4, 
Liberty  township,  of  this  county.  He  married,  in  1837.  Levina  Wil- 
hite,  who  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1814,  and  died  in  this  county  in 
1896.  Her  father  came  from  Germany  to  INIaryland  at  a  very  early 
day,  and  many  relatives  are  to  be  found  in  that  state  at  the  present 
time.  After  his  marriage  John  Cornell  moved  to  Indiana,  settling  in 
the  woods,  and  taught  school  several  years  and  also  cleared  up  a  farm. 
He  began  life  very  humbly,  but  was  successful  and  a  prominent  per- 


258  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

sonage  in  every  locality  where  he  made  his  home.  From  Indiana  he 
went  to  Nebraska,  and  in  1856  took  up  his  residence  in  Richardson 
county.  He  and  his  wife  had  the  following  family  of  sons  and  daugh- 
ters: Mary  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Alfred  Hollingsworth,  who  is  a 
large  farmer  of  Idaho:  Lydia  Ann,  who  died  in  infancy;  William 
Henry  Harrison,  who  died  in  Verdon,  Nebraska,  in  July,  1903.  at  the 
age  of  sixty-two,  leaving  three  daughters,  and  who  had  served  in  the 
ranks  for  one  year  during  the  Civil  war  and  afterwards  farmed ;  Mrs. 
Celestie  \\'orley,  a  widow,  in  Boxbute,  Nebraska,  the  mother  of  two 
daughters  and  one  son:  John  F. ;  Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Allen  Ting- 
ley,  of  Oklahoma,  and  has  a  large  family  of  sons ;  Mrs.  Catherine 
Simpson,  a  widow,  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  with  three  sons,  one  of  whom 
is  a  teacher  in  the  Philippines;  George  Wash,  of  Auburn,  Nebraska, 
who  has  a  large  family;  and  Charles  T.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen. 

Mr.  John  F.  Cornell  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Nebraska,  and 
spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  the  State  University  at  Lincoln,  after 
which  he  was  a  teacher  for  some  time.  The  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres  which  he  has  been  operating  for  some  years  is  known  as  the  John 
Patterson  farm,  and  he  is  also  owner  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
acres  of  land  in  Oklahoma.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  busi- 
ness ventures,  and  is  one  of  the  representative  agriculturists  of  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  state.  For  some  years  he  was  a  stanch  adher- 
ent of  Republican  principles  and  policies,  but  voted  for  W.  J.  Bryan 
in  1892  for  Congress  and  at  both  the  presidential  elections.  He  has 
been  in  public  affairs  for  many  years,  and  has  become  known  for  his 
ability  and  unswerving  integrity  in  all  public  acts.  He  served  as  state 
auditor  for  two  terms,  and  the  press  of  the  state  gave  him  unequivocal 
commendation  for  his   conduct   and   excellent   accounting  of  the  large 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  259 

amounts  of  state  funds.  He  was  a  member  of  the  county  Ijoard  for 
five  years.  He  is  an  active  member  of  several  fraternal  orders,  and  in 
church  affiliations  is  a  Baptist,  while  his  parents  were  both  Presby- 
terians. 

December  21,  1882,  Mr.  Cornell  married  Miss  Bell  Patterson. 
They  have  four  children  of  their  own,  and  have  adopted  a  bright  boy 
of  eight  years.  Zelie  May,  their  first  child,  is  the  wife  of  Robert 
Mickle,  on  the  staff  of  the  daily  Star  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  she  was 
educated  in  the  Lincoln  high  school  and  one  year  in  the  State  Univer- 
sity, and  taught  for  two  years ;  she  is  an  able  pianiste.  Neenah  Vashti,  the 
second  daughter,  is  in  the  Peru  normal.  Ann  Eunice  W.  is  a  girl  of 
thirteen,  and  Helen  is  aged  nine  years.  All  the  family  are  blessed  with 
fine  physiques  and  the  best  of  health,  and  are  happy,  interesting  peo- 
ple, with  something  worth  while  to  say  and  with  plenty  of  ability  to 
act  in  the  world  about  them. 

Mrs.  Cornell  is  the  only  daughter  and  only  surviving  child  of 
John  W.  and  Lucy  (Girwell)  Patterson.  Her  brother,  Albert  H.  B. 
Patterson,  died  in  his  tenth  year,  November  25,  1871.  John  W.  Patter- 
son, now  a  retired  farmer  of  Verdon,  came  to  Richardson  county  in 
August,  1858,  from  Birmingham,  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa.  He  was 
born  in  Lawrence  county,  Lidiana,  close  to  Bedford,  April  10,  1838. 
His  grandfather,  Gilbert  Patterson,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  about 
1770,  became  an  early  settler  of  Davis  county,  Lidiana,  and  died  there. 
By  his  wife,  a  Miss  McBride,  he  had  nine  children:  Rebecca  Bynum; 
G.  B. ;  Betsey  Lytton;  William;  Gilbert;  Kizzie,  wife  of  Wiliiam  Baker; 
Dr.  Mary  Parsons,  M.  D. ;  Louis  Patterson,  the  only  one  living,  and 
Nancy. 

G.  B.  Patterson,  father  of  John  W..  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  181 1,  and  died  in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  in  1891.     He  mar- 


26o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ried  Patsy  Cavaness,  of  Indiana,  and  they  had  three  children,  Mary 
Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years ;  John  W. ;  and  Sarah,  who  died 
in  infancy. 

John  \\.  Patterson  was  taken  to  Ilhnois  in  1848,  and  there  reared 
to  manhood,  receiving  his  schoohng  in  the  subscription  schools.  Febru- 
ary II,  1S58,  he  married  Miss  I.ucy  A.  Girwell,  who  was  born  in 
Holmes  county,  Ohio,  in  1834,  a  daughter  of  D.  R.  and  Rachael  (Speel- 
man)  Girwell.  Mr.  Patterson  came  out  to  Richardson  county  soon 
after  his  marriage,  and  for  some  years  was  engaged  in  freighting 
across  the  plains  to  Denver  and  other  points,  laying  the  foundation  of 
his  later  prosperity  in  this  enterprise.  He  has  been  prominent  in  farm- 
ing and  other  lines  of  business  in  this  state,  but  ten  years  ago  sold 
his  last  farm,  and  has  since  lived  in  Verdon.  While  Mr.  Cornell  was 
state  auditor  he  also  resided  in  Lincoln.  For  several  years  he  has  writ- 
ten some  fire  and  life  insurance  and  attended  to  some  collection  business. 
For  about  ten  years  he  did  a  large  business  in  feeding  and  shipping 
live-stock.  He  has  lived  in  this  part  of  the  state  so  many  years  that  he 
has  witnessed  almost  every  detail  of  its  progress.  For  many  years  he 
and  his  wife  have  been  accustomed  to  making  summer  trips  to  the 
west,  and  from  year  to  year  the  changes  in  the  country  through  which 
he  has  traveled  have  been  almost  startling  in,  their  rapidity,  resulting  ire 
a  complete  transformation  of  the  region  in  a  few  years. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  fraternally  is  a  Mas- 
ter IMason.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church.  They 
are  particularly  proud  and  happy  in  their  grandchildren,  the  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornell,  and  find  a  renewing  of  years  and  delightful 
solace  in  their  youthful  companionship. 


MRS.   SWEN  A.   ISAAC 


SWEN  A.  ISAAC 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  261 

SWEN  A.  ISAAC. 

Swen  A.  Isaac,  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  lurkey  Creek- 
precinct.  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  is  a  nati\-e  of  Sweden,  wliere  lie 
was  born  March  20,  1837.  In  his  native  land  he  was  known  as  Isaacson, 
but  he  dropped  the  last  syllable  after  locating  in  the  United  States. 
His  parents  bore  the  names  of  Isaac  and  Katrina  (Johnson)  Lorson. 
and  both  were  born  and  died  in  Sweden.  The  father  was  born  in  1800 
and  the  mother  in  1813,  and  their  deaths  occurred  in  1852  and  in  1901 
respectively.  Among  the  most  cherished  possessions  of  our  subject  is 
the  old  family  Bible,  in  which  there  is  recorded  that  these  parents  had 
eleven  children.  One  died  in  infancy ;  another'  was  evidently  killed  in 
the  Civil  war,  as  nothing  was  ever  heard  from  him  after  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  September  21,  1863.  Our  subject,  a  brother  and  three 
sisters,  are  the  only  survivors. 

Swen  A.  Isaac  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  and  commenced 
learning  the  trade  of  shoemaker,  but  never  followed  it.  His  education 
was  very  limited,  and  he  came  to  the  United  States  in  July,  1857,  set- 
tling first  near  Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  he  assisted  in  laying  the  very 
first  foundation  for  a  dwelling  house  in  that  vicinity.  When  the  war 
broke  out  he  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call  for  soldiers 
and  enlisted,  August  21,  1861,  in  Company  A,  Forty-second  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Captain  Northrop,  for  three  years,  and  after 
the  expiration  of  his  time  he  re-enlisted  and  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Springfield,  Illinois,  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  lost  his  left  arm  at 
the  battle  of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  in  November,  1864,  and  at  the  same 
time  received  two  other  bullets  in  his  body,  either  one  of  which  the 
surgeons  thought  would  cause  his  death.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and 
confined  in  the  Confederate  prison,  and  through  ignorance  on  the  part 
of  the  physicians  his  arm  was  amputated  when  through  proper  care  it 


262  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

might  lia\'e  been  saved.  He  pleaded  with  the  physicians  to  make  tlie 
amputation  below  the  elbow,  for  he  knew  he  possessed  a  very  strong 
constitution,  but  as  this  would  have  necessitated  more  trouble  and  the 
surgeons  believed  that  his  death  was  certain,  the  arm  was  taken  off  at 
the  upper  muscle.  After  he  had  been  exchanged  and  discharged  he 
returned  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Chicago,  thinking  he  would  be  given 
a  chance  in  the  soldiers'  home  to  go  to  school,  but  as  it  was  full  he 
determined  to  make  his  own  way  in  life.  Going  into  the  country,  he 
worked  by  the  day  and  month,  studying  as  opportunity  offered.  All 
during  the  war  he  had  carried  a  spelling  book  and  an  arithmetic  with 
him,  and  studied  every  spare  hour,  and  when  in  the  prison  and  in  the 
several  hospitals.  About  1866  Mr.  Isaac  took  a  trip  to  Kansas  and 
Nebraska.  Returning  to  Illinois,  he  entered  the  Prairie  City  Academy, 
where  he  remained  until  spring,  when  he  removed  to  Pawnee  county  and 
homesteaded  a  claim  in  Plum  Creek  precinct,  just  south  and  adjoining 
his  present  home  in  Turkey  Creek  precinct.  He  filed  his  claim  in  June 
of  1866  and  after  his  return  to  Illinois  he  purchased  his  team  and  wagon. 
Then  after  his  term  in  the  academy  he  drove  through  to  Nebraska  as 
railroad  facilities  terminated  eighteen  miles  northwest  of  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri.  He  came  west  in  company  with  two  brothers,  who  also  took 
up  adjoining  homesteads.  Later  he  took  up  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  more.  During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1868-69  1^^  taught  school, 
but  as  he  felt  his  lack  of  proper  pronunciation  of  the  English  language  he 
decided  not  to  follow  teaching  as  a  business. 

He  was  married  on  March  12,  1868,  to  Louisa  Shewey,  who  was 
born  in  McLean  county,  Illinois,  August  26,  1850.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Margaret  (Beaver)  Shewey,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Ohio,  but  died  in  Kansas  aged  seventy-six  years,  and  the 
latter  was  born  in  Indiana  and  died  near  the  home  of  her  son-in-law, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  263 

Mr.  Isaac,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  She  and  her  husband  were  old  pion- 
eers of  the  county  and  settled  in  Plum  Creek  precinct.  Mrs.  Isaac  was 
one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  yet  living. 

About  1870  Mr.  and  Mrs  Isaac  moved  into  a  little  log  cabin  on  the 
northern  part  of  their  land  in  Turkey  Creek  precinct  where  they  lived 
and  labored  until  1880,  and  at  that  time  erected  their  present  comfortable 
home,  one  of  the  finest  houses  in  Pavraee  county.  Five  years  later  their 
fine  barn  was  finished,  and  the  two  structures  cost  over  $10,000.  A  good 
deal  of  the  work  Mr.  Isaac  did  himself,  as  he  hauled  all  the  lumber  from 
a  half-dozen  different  towns  in  the  county  and  helped  the  various  work- 
men in  the  construction. 

Both  he  and  his  excellent  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  at  Burchard,  of  which  he  has  been  a  deacon  for  over  thirty  years, 
while  Mrs.  Isaac  is  equally  prominent  in  the  ladies'  society.  They  both 
have  been  workers  in  the  church  of  Burchard  since  its  organization  and 
contributed  largely  towards  the  erection  of  the  imposing  church  structure. 
Mr.  Isaac  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  the  G.  A.  R.  post  in  Illinois  and  is 
at  present  commander  of  the  William  A.  Butler  Post  No.  172,  of  Bur- 
chard and  he  was  one  of  its  charter  members.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  local  lodge  and  of  the  grand 
lodge  of  the  state.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  General  Grant  in  1868, 
and  he  has  since  that  time  continued  a  staunch  Republican.  He  has  held 
about  all  the  local  offices,  for  six  years  was  county  commissioner  and  was 
first  nominated  when  he  was  away  from  home,  without  his  knowledge  or 
consent.      He  is  also  one  of  the  old  justices  of  the  peace. 

The  career  of  Mr.  Isaac  has  been  a  most  remarkable  one,  for  he 
came  to  this  country  absolutely  penniless,  and  soon  after  his  arrival 
entered  the  service  of  his  adopted  land,  and  in  defense  of  tlje  Union  was 
maimed  for  life.     In  spite  of  a  calamity  which  would  have  utterly  pros- 


264  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

trated  an  ordinary  man  he  has  gone  steadily  ahead  ever  working  upward, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Pawnee  county.  His  great  ambi- 
tion in  life,  however,  has  been  to  educate  himself,  and  he  never  has 
lost  a  single  opportunity  of  acquiring  knowledge.  He  is  an  upright 
and  honorable  man,  a  kind  neighbor,  a  loving  and  devoted  husband. 


JOHN  W.   HESKETT,  M.   D. 

John  \\'.  Heskett,  M.  D.,  is  the  longest  established  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Salem,  Richardson  county,  and  for  the  twenty  years,  since 
April  II,  1884,  the  date  of  his  locating  in  this  town,  he  has  held  a 
recognized  place  as  a  reliable  and  successful  practitioner  and  a  promi- 
nent and  public-spirited  citizen.  Medicine  was  the  profession  toward 
which  his  aspirations  early  in  life  reached  out  to,  and  by  considerable 
self-denial  and  energetic  resolution  he  attained  his  M.  D.  some  thirty 
years  ago.  Since  then  he  has  not  failed  to  make  definite  progress  to- 
ward high  professional  standards  and  successful  practice  with  each 
year,  and  through  the  large  part  of  a  generation  he  has  been  favored 
with  the  confidence  and  been  esteemed  as  the  counselor  and  professional 
friend  of  many  a  household  of  Salem  and  the  adjacent  country. 

Dr.  Heskett  was  born  in  West  Carlisle,  Coshocton  county,  Ohio. 
His  father,  Benjamin  F.  Heskett,  was  born  in  old  Virginia,  and  during 
the  Civil  war  was  captain  of  Company  C,  Fifty-first  Ohio  Infantry,  and 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River.  He  left  a  wife,  a  half  brother 
and  this  one  son.  His  wife  was  Hannah  Barcroft,  a  nati\'e  of  Harri- 
son county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  Barcroft.  Dr.  Heskett  lost 
his  mother  when  he  was  three  years  old,  and  was  then  taken  into  the 
family  and  reared  by  his  grandfather  Barcroft  and  his  second  wife. 


SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA.  265 

His  early  life  was  spent  in  Coshocton  and  Knox  counties,  Ohio, 
and  he  was  well  educated.  After  he  had  finished  the  common  schools 
at  Martinsburg  he  taught  several  terms,  and  then  entered  the  Cincin- 
nati Medical  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1874  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  On  March  1 1  of  the  same  year  he  began  practice  in 
West  Bedford,  Ohio,  where  he  continued  his  professional  labors  for 
ten  years.  At  the  time  above  mentioned  he  came  to  Salem.  He  located 
on  the  south  side  of  the  village,  building  a  pleasant  cottage  home,  on  a 
hill  overlooking  the  town  and  the  surrounding  country,  and  he  is  the 
only  resident  on  the  south  side  within  the  city  corporation  who  has 
lived  there  for  twenty  years  without  moving.  He  has  nine  acres  of 
ground  around  his  home,  enough  to  be  dignified  with  the  name  of  a 
farm,  and  on  this  he  has  placed  all  the  improvements  and  planted  the 
many  fruit  and  ornamental  trees.  He  has  an  extensive  regular  practice, 
and  he  has  lived  here  so  long  that  in  his  professional  rounds  he  knows 
by  sight  or  name  every  person  he  meets,  lioth  in  town  and  tlie  sur- 
rounding country. 

Dr.  Heskett  is  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  ]\Iodern 
Woodmen  of  America.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  for  many  years, 
but  is  now  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Salem  Chautauqua,  which  has 
a  reputation  throughout  Southeastern  Nebraska  and  has  been  a  very 
successful  assembly  for  ?e\-eral  years. 

He  was  married,  September  15,  1874,  to  Miss  Anna  E.  Coulter,  a 
natixe  of  Jefi"erson  county,  Ohio.  Fixe  children  have  been  born  to  their 
union :  Leo  B.  is  operator  and  local  cashier  in  the  railroad  office  at 
Tccumseh,  \ebraska,  and  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter;  Dasie  V.  is 
the  wife  of  Rav  Huston,  cashier  of  the  Salem  Bank;  A.  Frank  is  the 
station  agent  at  Thompson,  Nebraska,  and  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter; 


266  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Charles  M.  farms  his  fatlier's  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm  near 
Salem,  and  has  a  wife  and  two  sons ;  and  the  fifth  child,  a  son,  died  in 
infancy. 


H.  M.  HEPPERI.EN. 

■  H.  M.  Hepperlen,  pin-sician  and  surgeon  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska, 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  profession  in  that  locality,  has  been  a 
resident  of  that  state  since  i8Si.  He  was  born  in  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  26,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Hepperlen,  the 
latter  having  been  born  in  \Vurtemberg,  German)',  but  is  now  de- 
ceased. The  Plepperlen  family  is  one  of  the  good,  substantial  ones  of 
Wurtemberg.   Germany,   where  it  originated. 

Dr.  Hepperlen  was  educated  in  the  high  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  early  evinced  a  taste  for  medicine,  so  that  when  he  com- 
menced its  study  with  Dr.  C.  A.  Bradley  he  made  rapid  strides  forward, 
and,  entering  the  Keokuk  (Iowa)  Medical  College,  he  w^as.  graduated 
from  it  in  1891.  In  1896  he  was  graduated  from  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College  at  Philadelphia,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  In  1897  he  took  a 
post-graduate  course  in  New  York  city,  and  then  going  abroad  studied 
at  A'ienna.  in  1898,  after  which  he  returned  to  Beatrice.  Nebraska, 
and  resumed  his  practice,  thoroughly  fitted  to  carry  on  the  particular 
branch  of  his  profession  which  had  always  claimed  much  of  his  attention, 
and  of  which  he  now  makes  a  specialty — diseases  of  women  and  surgery. 
Dr.  Hepperlen  was  married  in  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  to  Miss  Rosa 
\\'arner,  a  nati\e  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hepperlen,  namely :  May  Bernetta  and  Joseph  T. 
In  politics   Dr.    Hepperlen   is   a   Republican,   while   fraternally  he  is   a 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  267 

Kniglit  Templar  Mason  belonging  to  Beatrice  commandery.  Being  a 
close  student  Dr.  Heppericn  is  thoroughly  aljreast  of  all  modern  dis- 
coveries and  is  meeting  with  marvelous  success,  and  although  yet  a 
young  man  has  the  confidence  of  the  con.nunity  at  large  and  numbers 
amoug  his  patients  the  very  best  people  of  the  locality.  Pleasing  in 
manner,  courteous  and  genial,  he  has  made  and  retained  a  large  num- 
ber of  friends.  \\'hen  he  came  to  Beatrice  in  1899  he  established  what 
is  known  as  the  Dr.  H.  ]\1.  Hepperlen  Private  Hospital,  for  the 
treatment  of  the  diseases  of  women  and  surgery. 


JOHN  DAVIES. 

John  Davies,  the  well  known  fruit  farmer  of  Brownville,  is  num- 
bered among  the  early  pioneers  nf  the  cnuntry,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  for  the  long  period  of  thirty-four  years.  He  was  born  on  the 
border  land  of  Wales,  in  Radnorshire,  on  the  21st  of  June,  1847,  being 
a  son  of  Edward  and  Mary  Da\-ies,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  tailor 
and  lived  and  died  in  Wales,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son, 
one  of  the  former  dying  wh.en  young,  and  the  other,  Elizabeth,  became 
the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Corns  and  died  when  young,  leaving  three  children. 
In  the  land  of  his  birth  Jolm  Davies  received  but  meager  school 
advantages,  and  in  1869  he  bade  adieu  to  the  home  of  his  childhood 
and  youth  and  sailed  for  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York 
city,  whence  he  made  his  way  to  Chicago,  and  one  month  later  came  to 
Brownville,  Nebraska,  arri\'ing  here  on  the  17th  of  June,  1869.  When 
he  left  Chicago  his  wealth  consisted  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and  after 
his  arrival  here  he  secured  employment  with  John  A.  Carson,  the  first 


268  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

banker  in  the  state,  with  whom  he  remained  as  coachman  and  in  other 
capacities  for  nine  years.  His  present  fine  fruit  farm  of  thirty  acres 
Hes  partly  within  the  corporate  limits  of  Brownville,  and  has  been 
the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davies  for  twenty-eight  years.  When  he 
secured  this  property  it  was  covered  with  a  native  growth  of  timber, 
and  all  the  improvements  which  now  add  to  its  value  an'i  attractive 
appearance  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift  and  buisness  ability. 
Among  these  may  lie  mentioned  the  pleasant  and  attractive  residence, 
two  stories  in  height  and  containing  seven  rooms,  also  his  large  barn 
and  fruit  house,  while  in  his  orchard  may  be  found  a  large  variety  of 
nursery  stock.  He  has  planted  one  thousand  apple  trees,  two  thousand 
peach  trees,  about  four  acres  of  strawberries,  and  he  annually  garners 
large  quantities  of  both  the  large  and  the  small  fruits. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1875,  in  Brownville,  Mr.  Davies  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Amanda  J-  Gaunt,  a  native  of  Gibson  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  a  daughter  of  George  King,  who  followed  farming  in  both 
Indiana  and  Missouri,  removing  to  the  latter  state  at  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  reared  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  and 
all  are  married  and  scattered  throughout  many  different  states,  residing 
in  Indiana,  Kansas  City  and  Colorado.  By  her  first  marriage  Mrs. 
Davies  had  one  daughter,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  W.  C.  Sloan,  of 
Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  and  has  three  daughters.  The  union  of  our 
subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  with  one  son,  William  J.,  who  grad- 
uated from  the  Brownville  high  school,  and  for  two  terms  thereafter 
was  employed  as  teacher.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  was  a  candidate  for 
the  district  clerkship  on  the  Prohibition  ticket,  and  for  the  past  few 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  fruit  and  real  estate  business  with  his 
father,  the  firm  being  known  as  Davies  &  Son.  They  are  meeting  with 
.splendid  success  both  as  fruit  growers  and  in  the  wholesale  and  retail 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  269 

nursery  business,  and  are  numbered  among  the  leading  business  men 
of  this  community.  The  son  married  Minnie  Shantz,  and  they  have 
one  little  son,  named  Willie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Davies  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  steward 
and  trustee,  and  for  one  year  was  also  district  steward.  He  gives  his 
political  support  to  the  Prohibition  party,  and  was  its  nominee  for  the 
office  of  county  commissioner,  while  for  a  number  of  years  past  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board. 


A,  D.  ANDREWS. 

A.  D.  Andrews,  who  owns  a  beautiful  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty-two  acres  in  Clay  township,  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  was  born 
in  Somerset  county,  Maine,  June  9,  1848.  He  is  a  son  of  James  An- 
drews, who  was  born  in  Maine.  James  Andrews  was  a  son  of  Dudley 
Andrews,  a  soldier  of  18 12,  born  of  English  parents.  James  Andrews 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  a  good  workman  and  one  who  was  very  suc- 
cessful in  life.  He  married  Erances  Haines,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Haines.  In  1857  James  Andrews  and  wife  moved  west  to  Floyd  county, 
Iowa,  where  during  the  Civil  war  James  enlisted  in  an  Iowa  regiment. 
He  later  went  to  Texas,  near  Dallas,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty, 
having  been  a  firm  Republican  and  a  prominent  Mason.  He  left  two 
children,  A.  D,  and  Adelia  F.  Lepley,  of  Nemaha  county,  Kansas.  The 
mother  still  survives  and  is  now  eighty  years  of  age  and  a  consistent 
member  of  the  United  Brethern  church. 

A.  D.  Andrews  was  reared  upon  the  farm  in  Iowa  and  educated 
in  the  pioneer  schools  of  his  locality.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  came 
to  Nebraska,  settling  in  Pawnee  county,  where  on  December  31,   1868, 


270  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

he  married  Sarah  EHzabeth  McCoy,  who  was  born  in  Michigan,  a 
daughter  of  Allen  and  Julia  (Harless)  McCoy,  the  former  a  native  of 
Virginia  and  now  a  resident  of  New  Mexico.  These  parents  had  the 
following  children:  George  \V.,  a  soldier  in  the  United  States  army 
who  lives  in  New  Mexico;  Almirtha  Jane;  James  Allen,  a  soldier  in 
the  state  militia  of  Nebraska,  but  who  lives  in  New  Mexico ;  Sarah  E. ; 
Cyntha  Ann;  Letitia;  Harvey,  New  Mexico;  Charles  Robert;  Lydia 
Zella;  and  three  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Andrews  settled  in  South  Forks  township  in  1862,  but  in  1875 
he  came  to  his  present  farm,  which  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  state.  He 
has  his  farm  fully  equipped  with  all  modern  appliances,  and  it  is  appro- 
priately called  Pleasant  Hill.  Mr.  Andrews  devotes  his  land  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  The  fields  are  surrounded  by  hedge 
fences. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  are  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Almirtha  Byers ;  Minnie  Gertrude  Hutton ;  Mary  Agnes ;  and  Zella  Mabel, 
the  last  three  of  whom  are  popular  teachers  of  Pawnee  county  and  were 
all  educated  at  the  Nebraska  State  Normal  School;  Levi  James;  Edith 
R.,  is  a  student  of  the  State  Normal  School;  Lillian  Grace,  and  Clin- 
ton Lyle.  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  very  popular  Republican,  and  the  family 
are  all  connected  with  the  United  Brethern  church,  of  which  he  is  a 
trustee. 


JAMES  HARVEY  OVERMAN.   ' 

James  Harvey  Overman,  who  is  for  the  second  time  in  the  last 
thirty  years  serving  as  an  efficient  postmaster,  lacks  only  a  few  years 
of  having  completed  a  half  century  of  residence  in  a  state  which  has 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  271 

only  existed  that  length  of  time  as  a  territorial  organization,  and  he 
was  taking  up  liis  active  career  in  hfe  when  the  territory  was  made  one 
of  the  states  of  the  Union.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  several  Nebraska  towns  in  addition  to  his  career  in  public 
office,  and  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  has  displayed  qualities  of  loyal 
citizenship,  upright  manhood  and  strictest  integrity  and  fair  dealing. 

Mr.  Overman's  family  record  details  much  that  is  connected  with 
the  early  life  of  various  communities,  and  the  representatives  of  the 
name  ha\-e  always  filled  honorable  and  useful  places  in  the  v/orld.  His 
ancestry  on  the  paternal  side  is  Holland  Dutch,  and  of  his  grandparents 
he  remembers  little,  except  that  his  grandfather  was  one  of  the  earlv 
settlers  and  a  farmer  of  Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1830,  in  early  life, 
leaving  by  his  wife,  who  was  a  INIiss  Amick,  a  large  family. 

James  L.  Overman,  the  father  of  James  Harvey  Overman,  was  an 
old  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  He  -was  born 
in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  February  15,  1824,  and  died  at  his  home  in 
Stella.  Nebraska,  December  28,  1894,  aged  seventy  years,  ten  months 
and  thirteen  days.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  Indiana  was  almost  an  un- 
broken wilderness,  and  he  grew  up  surrounded  by  all  the  pioneer  condi- 
tions which  have  fitted  so  many  men  for  large  positions  in  the  world's 
strife,  and  at  the  same  time  compelled  them  to  undergo  hardships  and 
privations  which  in  the  twentieth  century  would  seem  unendurable,  and 
which,  in  fact,  cannot  be  realized  by  the  present  generation.  In  1852  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  1858,  when 
he  advanced  further  out  on  what  was  then  the  western  frontier  and  lo- 
cated at  St.  Deroin,  Nebraska.  He  operated  a  ferry  at  this  place,  and 
many  of  the  older  families  in  this  section  of  the  state  can  yet  remember 
having  crossed  the  river  under  his  guidance.  Roving  bands  of  Indians 
and  outlaws  infested  the  country  at  that  time  and  made  both  residents 


272  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  property  insecure,  and  the  cliildren  were  seldom  allowed  to  go  be- 
yond call.  Land  was  then  worth  from  sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  to  a 
dollar  and  a  c|uarter  an  acre,  and  went  begging  at  that  price.  In  March, 
1861,  Mr.  J.  L.  Overman  enlisted  in  Company  D.  Fifth  Missouri  Vol- 
unteer Cavalry,  and  served  sixteen  months  until  he  was  discharged  for 
disability.  He  saw  a  great  deal  of  the  roughest  kind  of.  work  in  fighting 
the  bushwhackers  under  Ouantrell,  Jesse  James  and  others.  After  being 
discharged  he  engaged  in  the  cooperage  business  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
and  for  the  following  ten  years  prospered,  after  which  he  again  came 
to  St.  Deroin,  where  he  lived  until  1884,  when  he  moved  to  Stella,  where 
his  long  and  busy  life  was  brought  to  a  close,  peacefully  and  quietly 
for  one  who  had  witnessed  so  many  stormy  scenes. 

James  L.  Overman  became  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  when 
he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  lived  and  died  true  to  that  faith.  He  was 
a  loyal  member  of  Shubert  Post,  G.  A.  R.  December  2q,  1845,  h^  '^^'as 
married  to  Miss  Mary  Daily,  who  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Indiana, 
May  16,  1819,  and  is  still  living  in  Stella,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
and  several  others  from  a  family  of  sixteen  brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom 
she  was  the  first  born,  are  living.  There  were  four  children  born  of 
this  union :  Kate  is  the  widow  of  Peter  Fraker,  of  Stella,  and  has  three 
children;  Andrew  M.,  who  enlisted,  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  the 
Forty-eighth  Missouri,  and  because  of  his  youthful  strength  and  vigor 
gave  loyal  service  till  the  end  of  the  war,  is  now  living  in  Oklahoma  ter- 
ritory and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter;  Arabelle,  who  lives  in  Stella, 
is  the  widow  of  John  M.  McCullough,  who  died  in  Ktmsas  in  September, 
1900,  leaving  one  daughter,  Ona,  who  is  now  serving  as  the  assistant 
postmaster  in  her  uncle's  oflice;  James  H.  Overman  is  the  youngest  of 
this  family. 

James  Harvey  Overman  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  January 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  273 

10,  1852,  and  was  brouglit  by  iiis  parents  to  St.  Deroin,  Nebraska.  May 
6.  1858.  He  liad  a  common  schooling  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old, 
and  tlien  became  a  clerk  in  his  brother-in-law's  store  at  Deroin.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Stella  most  of  the  time  for  the  past  twenty  vears, 
having  come  here  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out.  He  received  his 
first  appointment  as  postmaster  from  President  Hayes,  in  1879,  ^^  Deroin, 
serving  over  a  year,  when  he  moved  to  Corning,  Missouri,  and  his 
second  from  President  McKinley.  and  was  also  appointed  by  Roosevelt, 
April  27,  1004,  as  postmaster  of  Stella.  His  business  life  has  been  de- 
voted to  merchandising  and  hotel-keeping.  He  was  in  l)u^iness  at  St. 
Deroin  from.  1868  to  July,  1871.  in  Severance,  Kansas,  until  1874,  from 
then  till  March,  1879,  in  St.  Deroin,  for  the  following  three  vears  in 
Corning.  IMissouri,  and  since  that  time  has  been  in  Stella  with  the  ex- 
ception of  ten  months  spent  in  conducting  the  Enoch  House  in  Hum- 
boldt. 

He  is  now  building  a  modern  hotel  at  Stella,  of  twenty-three  rooms, 
three  stories,  brick  structure,  furnace  beat,  located  on  ^lain  and  Third 
streets. 

Mr.  Overman  was  married  March  24,  1878,  to  ]\Iiss  Lucinda  Marie 
Thomas,  a  native  of  Putnam  county,  ^Missouri.  They  have  not  been 
blessed  with  any  children  of  their  own,  but  their  home  has  seldom  been 
without  young  people.  Their  foster  daughter,  Mary  Palmer,  came  to  live 
with  tlieiu  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  was  educated  in  Stella,  and  was 
married  there.  September  22.  1895,  to  W.  Harris,  a  son  of  a  wealthy 
farmer,  and  they  are  now  engaged  in  sheep  ranching  in  North 
Yakima,  Washington,  where  they  took  up  their  residence  in  ^larch,  i8g6, 

Mrs.  Overman's  father,  Elijah  P.  Thomas,  was  born  at  Maysville, 
Kentucky,  h'ebruary  11,  1827.  His  great-grandfather  came  from  Wales, 
and  his  grandfather,  Solomon  Thomas,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Re\-olutioii, 


274  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

going  from  his  native  state  of  Virginia.  John  Thomas,  the  father  of 
Elijah  P.  Thomas,  was  born  in  Kentucky  about  1795,  and  when  about 
seventeen  years  old  became  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  a  miller 
and  a  farmer.  He  married  Margaret  Harmer,  of  Champaign  county, 
Ohio,  and  they  reared  nine  of  their  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  married 
and  had  children,  and  the  oldest,  William  Thomas,  is  living  in  Oregon 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Their  mother  died  in  Putnam  county, 
Missouri,  in  old  age,  and  their  father  died  in  Scotland  county,  Missouri, 
at  the  age  of  eighty. 

Elijah  P.  Thomas  was  married  September  15,  1859,  in  Knoxville, 
Iowa,  to  Miss  Samantha  Ann  Hillis,  who  was  born  March  18,  1833,  a 
daughter  of  ]..!).  B.  Hillis,  M.  D.,  who  was  l)orn  in  Bourbon  county,  Ken- 
tucky, January  10.  1810,  was  college  bred,  and  married  Lucinda  Stearett, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  near  Urbana,  in  181 3,  and  died  in  1843,  leaving 
three  children,  as  follows  :  Samantha  Ann  ;  Mary  E.  Stephens,  a  widow ; 
and  Minerva,  the  wife  of  H.  H.  Pierce,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and 
her  first  husband  was  a  brother  of  Elijah  Thomas,  Stephen  Thomas,  who 
died  in  the  hospital  during  the  Civil  war.  The  father  of  these  daugh- 
ters, was  assistant  surgeon  to  the  Second  Wisconsin  Cavalry  and  was 
present  at  the  surrender  of  Vicksbtirg.  Elijah  Thomas  and  his  wife  were 
hotel-keepers  in  Missouri,  and  are  now  living  retired  in  Stella,  Nebraska. 


FRED.  S.  HASSLER. 

Fred.  S.  Hassler,  editor  and  proprietor  of  The  Pawnee  City  Press, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  newspaper  men  of  the  state  of 
Nebraska,  having  been  connected  with  the  profession  in  this  state  for  a 
full  third  of  a  century.     The  Press  is  one  of  the  influential  papers  of 


FRED.    S.    HASSLER 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  275 

southeastern  Nebraska,  ably  edited  and  conducted  in  the  interests  of 
progress  and  pubHc  welfare.  The  plant  is  number  one  in  all  its  equip- 
ment, and  perfect  workmanship  marks  the  paper  throughout.  Mr.  Hass- 
ler  has  been  very  successful  in  the  conduct  of  The  Press  for  the  past 
fifteen  years,  and  has  made  it  an  organ  for  good  and  social  uplift 
throughout  the  county. 

Mr.  Hassler  arrived  in  Pawnee  City  when  it  was  a  mere  village, 
coming  from  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in 
work  on  the  Chronicle  and  the  Gazette.  He  had  learned  his  trade 
on  the  Greensburg  (  Pennsylvania)  Herald,  and  sulisequently  worked  on 
the  Meadville  Republican,  the  first  daily  paper  started  in  Meadville, 
Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  Pawnee  City  on  the  first  day  of  November, 
1870,  and  immediately  associated  himself  with  the  late  Judge  J.  L. 
Edwards  in  the  publication  of  the  Pawnee  Tribune,  which  name  was 
afterwards  changed  to  the  Pawnee  Republican,  under  which  title  it  is 
still  published.  Mr.  Hassler  sold  this  paper  to  his  brother  and  uncle, 
and  then  bought  the  Pawnee  Banner,  which  he  ultimately  sold,  buying 
the  Table  Rock  Argus.  In  1886,  when  the  town  of  Dubois  was  started 
in  Pawnee  county,  he  established  the  Times  in  that  place,  but  eventually 
sold  both  this  and  the  Argus  to  purchase  the  Beaver  City  (Nebraska) 
Tribune,  which  he  conducted  until  1889,  then  selling  it  to  F.  N.  Mer- 
win,  now  private  secretary  of  Hon.  George  W.  Norris,  congressman  of 
the  Fifth  Nebraska  district.  Mr.  Hassler  then  returned  to  Pawnee  City 
and  became  the  owner  of  TJie  Press,  which  he  has  published  ever  since. 

Mr.  Hassler's  two  oldest  childien,  William  Nessley  and  Walter 
Earle,  are  now  connected  with  the  Livingston  (IMontana)  Post.  His 
three  daughters,  IMabel,  Hazel  and  Helen,  are  at  home  with  their  parents, 
at  their  residence  on  Western  avenue.  Mrs.  Hassler  is  a  cousin  of  the 
late  ex-Governor  David  Butler,  and  her  father  was  an  early  pioneer 


276  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Nebraska!!,  and  a  member  of  tbe  legislature  which  removed  the  state 
capital  from  Omaha  to  Lincoln.  Mr.  Hassler  is  a  brother-in-law  of 
Hon.  W.  B.  Raper,  and  an  uncle  by  marriage  of  County  Attorney  John 
B.  Raper,  of  Pawnee  City,  both  well  known  residents  of  southeastern 
Nebraska. 

Mr.  Hassler  was  the  first  city  clerk  when  Pawnee  City  was  incorpor- 
ated, and  served  in  that  capacity  for  two  terms.  He  lias  endeavored 
to  give  his  best  influence  for  the  good  of  county  and  state,  and  instances 
might  be  mentioned  where  these  efiforts  have  been  highly  appreci_ated 
bv  his  fellow  citizens. 


CYRUS  C.  MEADER. 

Cyrus  C.  Meader.  one  of  the  prosperous  farmer.s  of  section 
25,  Clay  township,  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  owns  a  beautiful  home 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  was  born  in  Waukesha  countv. 
^^'isconsin,  August  26,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Gideon  ]\Ieader,  who  was 
born  at  Earmington,  Vermont,  a  son  of  James  Meader.  also  a  n-i.tive 
of  Vermont.  Gideon  Meader  was  reared  on  a  Vermont  farm,  and  when 
he  attained  to  maturity  moved  to  Montreal,  Canada,  v.here  he  married 
Louisa  Purrington,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  Purrington.  Francis  Cnok, 
a  relative  of  Louisa  Purrington.  came  tn  this  countrv  on  the  Mayflower. 
Li  the  year  1841  Gideon  and  his  wife  went  to  Waukesha  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  later  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  and  from  there  to  Nemaha 
county,  Neliraska.  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  vears.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  was  a  successful  farmer  and  in  politics  was  a  sturdy  Repub- 
lican. The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  both  were 
Quakers  in  their  religious  persuasion.  The  children  born  to  these  parents 
were  as  follows :  Nathan ;  Cyrus  C. ;  Anna  Maria,  of  Elmo,  Missouri ; 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  277 

Curtis,   of  Seattle,   \\'ashington ;   Eunice   Parl<er.   of  \'ictor,    Montana ; 
Joshua,  a  merchant  of  Ehno,  Missouri. 

Cyrus  C.  Header  was  reared  in  Fond  du  Lac  county  on  a  farm  and 
early  learned  the  meaning  of  hard  work.  He  ne\'er  had  many  educatioiial 
advantages.  On  May  4,  1864,  he  was  married  to  Josephine  ]\Iartin.  She 
was  born  at  Jericho,  Vermont,  a  daughter  of  Porter  Martin,  Porter  Mar- 
tin was  born  in  Vermont  and  reared  near  the  old  home  of  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  Porter  Martin  married 
Margaret  Griffith,  also  a  native  of  Vermont,  \\ho  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years.  For  many  years  he  was  a  sailor  on  the  lakes.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican.  Six  children  were  born  to  Porter  IMartin  and  wife, 
Josephine;  Myron;  Betsy;  Fannie,  of  Smith  county,  Kansas;  Giles,  of 
Lincoln,  Nebraska;  Clarence,  of  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin. 

In  1864.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meader  went  to  Polk  county,  Iowa,  and  re- 
mained there  one  winter.  In  1865  they  removed  to  Nebraska  and  lived 
in  Nemaha  county  until  fall  of  1868,  then  moved  to  Pawnee  county,  Ne- 
braska, on  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  they  sold  and  later 
bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  They  now  have  a  beautiful  rural 
home  in  Clay  township,  on  which  they  have  erected  a  house  at  a  cost  of 
one  thousand  and  three  hundred  dollars.  On  the  south  side  is  a  fine  bear- 
ing orchard.     He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  hogs  and  cattle. 

Mr.  Meader  has  always  been  a  good  Republican  and  has  strongly 
espoused  the  cause  of  good  roads.  He  has  served  as  road  supervisor  for 
sixteen  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  is  one 
of  the  trustees  and  an  ex-superintendent.  Genial,  kind-hearted,  indus- 
trious, always  ready  to  give  to  those  in  need,  Mr.  Meader  is  held  in  high- 
est esteem  by  his  fellow  townsmen  and  has  many  friends  throughout  the 
country. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  :Mrs.  jMeader  are:  Bertha  Dickinson,  of 


278         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Puyallup,  Washington;  Lillian  Edgerton,  of  Puyallup,  Washington: 
Gideon,  of  Snohomish,  Washington ;  Harry,  of  Clay  township ;  Blanche, 
school  teacher ;  and  Herbert,  the  two  latter  residing  at  home. 


ROBERT  T.   SCOTT. 

Robert  T.  Scott,  proprietor  of  the  Green  Dale  stock  farm  and 
tlie  owner  of  the  best  herd  of  shorthorn  cattle  in  Southeastern  Nebraska, 
was  born  in  Roxburyshire,  Scotland,  in  1840.  He  is  a  son  of  Matthew 
and  Kittie  (Temple)  Scott,  both  of  whom  died  in  Scotland,  the  father 
when  our  subject  was  small. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  R.  T.  Scott  came  to  America  and 
went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Henry  Scott,  at  Toulon,  Stark  covmty,  Illi- 
nois, and  grew  to  maturity  on  the  farm.  In  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  in  Company  B,  Nineteenth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  participated  in  many  of  the  important  battles  of  the  war, 
the  most  important  being  Stone  River,  Missionary  Ridge,  Chickamauga, 
Buzzard's  Roost,  Resaca  and  Nashville,  and  serving  under  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  and  gallant  officers.  His  record  is  an  honorable  one 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  1864. 

Mr.  Scott  then  came  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  and  located  five 
miles  southwest  of  his  present  home,  but  thirty  years  ago  he  sold  that 
property  and  came  to  Green  Dale.  Here  Mr.  Scott  owns  a  fine  estate  of 
six  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  rich  bottom  land,  and  no  better  can  be  found 
in  the  state.  It  is  watered  by  Turkey  creek  and  Johnson's  creek,  and  thus 
he  overcomes  the  greatest  drawback  to  farming  or  stock-raising  in  Ne- 
braska. The  abundance  of  water  also  insures  plenty  of  shade,  and  in  a 
fine  grove  of  walnut,  oak  and  boxekler  the  old  settlers  of  this  locality 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  .  279 

meet  to  tell  of  early  experiences  and  to  greet  old  friends.  Mr.  Scott  has 
a  blue  grass  pasture  which  rivals  those  of  Kentucky,  and  his  meadows 
and  corn  fields  put  those  of  Illinois  to  shame.  Mr.  Scott  has  spent  many 
thouands  of  dollars  in  making  improvements  here  and  in  introducing  his 
fine  herds,  but  he  has  also  realized  many  thousands  on  account  of  their 
value.  Mr.  Scott  has  here  an  ideal  country  home,  his  residence  and  other 
buildings  being  adornments  to  the  landscape.  He  is  the  pioneer  breeder 
of  shorthorn  cattle  and  owns  a  herd  of  one  hundred  registered  animals. 
He  also  breeds  Poland  China  hogs.  He  has  done  much  to  raise  the 
standard  in  cattle  and  other  stock  in  this  section. 

On  March  10,  1866,  Mr.  Scott  was  married  to  Anna  P.  Rogers,  who 
was  born  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  P.  M. 
and  Sarah  (Beeler)  Rogers,  old  settlers  of  Pawnee  county.  Mrs.  Scott 
died  January  27,  1902.  She  was  a  most  estimable  lady  and  possessed 
the  grace  and  hospitality  of  her  southern  birth.  The  children  of  this 
marriage  were :  Mrs.  Sadie  Wheeler,  of  Montesano,  Washington ;  Katie ; 
Effie;  Charles  M. ;  Robert;  Frank;  John  T.  and  George  C.  Five  are  de- 
ceased, one  of  these,  Harry  S.,  being  a  young  man  of  great  promise.  Burr 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Matthew  died  aged  two  years,  John  died 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  an  infant  died  aged  one  year. 

Mr.  Scott  has  served  Pawnee  county  as  commissioner  for  nine  years 
and  has  also  been  assessor,  filling  every  office  with  efficiency.  He  be- 
longs to  John  Ingham  Post  No.  95,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  public-spirited  and  progressive  men  of  this  section 
and  is  liberal  in  his  support  of  education  and  church  work.  Few  men 
of  this  county  are  more  universally  esteemed. 


28o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

JOHN  A.  WARD. 

John  A.  Ward,  ex-manager  of  rin-al  mail  route  Xo.  4,  of  Paw- 
nee city,  Nebraska,  is  a  well  known  and  respected  citizen.  He  was  born 
May  18,  1847,  near  Bloomington,  McLean  county,  Illinois,  and  was  a 
lad  of  eleven  years  when  he  came  to  the  territory  of  Nebraska,  on  April 
II,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  David  Adison  and  Sarah  (Harrah)  Ward, 
the  later  of  whom  was  born  in  Indiana  and  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
Harrah,  a  native  of  \A'est  Virginia.     She  was  her  husband's  second  wife. 

David  A.  Ward  was  born  in  Greenbrier  county.  West  Virginia,  and 
he  married  first  a  Miss  Reeves  and  had  three  children :  James  O.,  Susan 
L.  and  David  A.  He  died  in  185 1  and  left  his  widow  in  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  with  two  children:  John  A.  and  Joseph  R.,  who  died  in  Ottawa 
county,  Kansas.  The  mother  later  married  John  N.  Burge,  and  in  1858 
tliey  came  to  Nebraska  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Pawnee  county.  Here 
Mr.  Burge  died  and  his  widow  made  her  home  in  Pawnee  county  with 
her  step-children,  Lydia  and  Lucinda.  Later  she  married  Reason  Ball 
and  she  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years.  She  was  a  true  pioneer  woman 
and  possessed  all  the  endurance  and  many  virtues  of  that  courageous 
class.      She  was  beloved  in  life  and  mourned  in  death- 

In  June,  1862,  Mr.  John  A.  Ward  enlisted  in  the  army,  entering 
Company  I,  Fifty-fifth  Indiana  W)Iunteer  Infantry,  and  was  on  duty  at 
Frankfort,  Richmond  and  Lexington,  Kentucky.  In  1863,  after  his  hon- 
orable discharge,  he  visited  his  mother  in  Indiana  and  then  returned  to 
Pawnee  city,  after  spending  two  years  at  Minneapolis,  Ottawa  county, 
Kansas.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  he  was  married  in  Pawnee  coun- 
ty to  Hannah  Gallagher,  a  most  estimable  lady.  She  was  born  near  Zanes- 
ville,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Davis  and  Elizabeth  (Morrison)  Gal- 
lagher, early  settlers  of  Pawnee  county,  who  lived  through  the  early 
Indian  troubles  in  Nebraska.     Her  father  was  the  first  blacksmith  in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  281 

Pawnee  city  and  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  strong 
Repubhcan.     He  died  in  1896. 

The  mother  died  in  1879.  Both  parents  were  much  respected  and 
belonged  to  the  hospitable  and  kind  and  neighborly  people  of  this  com- 
munity. Their  children  were:  J\Irs.  Ann  Syrung;  Mrs.  Marj^  Stall;  Mrs. 
Hannah  Ward;  Mrs.  Susan  McKee,  deceased;  John;  and  James,  of  Paw- 
nee cit\-.  Both  I\lrs.  Ward  and  Mrs.  McKee  were  among  the  first  teach- 
ers in  Pawnee  county.  j\lr.  Ward  served  for  six  months  under  Colonel 
Mason,  on  the  plains,  in  the  Indian  war. 

On  November  15,  1900,  Mr.  Ward  began  his  service  on  the  rural 
mail  route  and  continued  in  that  service  for  thirty-two  months.  His  ser\- 
ices  were  satisfactory  in  e\-ery  particular  and  he  had  hosts  of  friends. 
His  daughters  are  both  capable  business  women,  the  elder,  Lenie,  being  a 
teacher  and  also  the  manager  of  the  Girl's  Industrial  School  at  Geneva, 
Nebraska,  and  the  other,  Susie,  being  a  popular  clerk  in  this  city.  Mrs. 
Ward  and  daughters  belong  to  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ward  have  taken  little  Fern  Burlingame  to  rear  and  educate. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ward  is  a  Republican  and  is  the  youngest  ex-soldier 
member  of  John  Ingham  Post  No.  95,  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. 


LEWIS  H.  DEAN. 

Lewis  H.  Dean,  who  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Pawnee  coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  coming  to  Clay  township  in  1878,  is  a  highly  respected 
citizen  and  an  honored  survivor  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  March 
5,  1838,  at  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Dean,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  in  1804,  and  a  grandson  of  Daniel  Dean,  who  was  born  in 


282         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

county  Down,  Ireland.  The  family  was  established  in  Kentucky  shortly 
a'fter  the  settlement  of  Daniel  Boone. 

Joseph  Dean  crossed  the  river  into  Ohio,  in  young  manhood,  and 
there  married  Hannah  Boggs,  who  was  born  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Boggs,  who  later  moved  to  northwestern  Indiana. 
Joseph  Dean  and  wife  took  up  a  homestead  farm  in  Ohio  and  lived  there 
all  their  lives  engaged  in  farming,  both  passing  away  when  about  eighty 
years  old.  Mr.  Joseph  Dean  was  a  Whig  in  politics.  The  Dean  family  was 
Presbyterian  in  religious  belief,  while  the  Boggs's  were  Methodists.  These 
parents  had  children  born  to  them  as  follows :  George  Washington  died 
in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Struthers  died  at  Monmouth,  Illinois;  Daniel,  of 
Cedarville,  Ohio;  Louise  and  Willis  both  died  young;  Lewis  H. ;  Anna 
Oldham  lives  in  Xenia;  Joseph  N.,  of  Xenia,  was  a  member  of  Company 
B,  Fortieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  for  years  after  the  war  served 
as  probate  judge;  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Wright  lives  in  Dayton,  Ohio;  Samuel 
S.  is  a  prominent  man  in  Green  county  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead; 
and  Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Rev.  Renwick,  died  in  Henderson  county,  Illinois. 

Lewis  H.  Dean  grew  up  in  Ohio  and  attended  the  district  schools. 
On  April  i6,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  defense  of  his  country's  flag,  just  four 
days  after  Fort  Sumter  had  been  fired  upon,  entering  the  Twelfth  Ohio 
Infantry  for  ninety  days.  His  second  enlistment  was  on  August  12, 
1862,  with  Company  H,  Ninety-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
his  faithful  service  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  served  under 
Generals  Rosecrans  and  Thomas  and  took  part  in  many  of  the  leading- 
battles  of  the  war,  among  these  being  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chicka- 
mauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  and  Bentonville,  later  going  with  Sherman 
to  the  sea;  marching  through  the  Carolinas  and  triumphantly  to  the 
grand  review  at  Washington  city.     Mr.  Dean  came  out  of  the  service 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  283 

unharmed  and  had  never  been  incapacitated  for  duty.  He  has  a  record 
of  which  he  may  justly  be  proud. 

On  November  5,  1861,  Mr.  Dean  was  married  to  Miss  Panetta 
Haines,  who  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ohio,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel P.  and  Rebecca  (McFarland)  Haines,  an  old  Tennessee  family,  and 
a  brother  of  Alfred  A.  Haines,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Eighth  Ohio 
Cavalry  and  now  lives  in  Texas.  In  1867  Mr.  Dean  removed  to  Clay 
county,  Illinois,  but  in  1878  came  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska.  He 
secured  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  this  he  sold  in  1901. 
He  went  to  California  in  1893  and  spent  eighteen  months  there.  Mrs. 
Dean  died  May  26,  1895,  aged  fifty-seven  years.  She  was  the  beloved 
mother  of  these  children;  Mrs.  Lula  M.  Albro  died  at  Pasadena,  Cal- 
ifornia; Mrs.  Florence  McCall,  of  Washington,  Kansas;  Lida  Gertrude 
died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  at  White  Hall,  Illinois,  on  the  journey 
to  Nebraska;  Rena  is  Mrs.  Frankenfield  of  Pawnee  city;  Mrs.  Cora  Lo- 
baugh,  of  Washington,  Kansas;  Willis  is  a  successful  physician  of  Sioux 
City,  Iowa;  Clara  E.  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  P.  Fitzsimmons,  of  Tecumseh, 
Nebraska ;  Frank  A.  is  a  dentist  at  Colville,  Washington ;  Joseph  Calvin, 
a  bright  young  man,  was  accidentally  killed  in  1890. 

On  October  28,  1896,  Mr.  Dean  married  Mrs.  Harriet  A.  Stephen- 
son, who  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Senath  (Powers)  Farrow,  of 
Axtell,  Kansas.  She  had  two  brothers  in  the  Civil  war,  Gideon,  a  member 
of  an  Iowa  regiment,  and  William,  a  member  of  an  Illinois  regiment. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  have  a  home  in  Pawnee  city  and  own  two  valu- 
able farms  in  Washington  county,  Kansas,  and  one  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-six  acres  near  Emmons.  In  politics  Mr.  Dean  is  a  Prohibitionist 
and  he  belongs  to  the  John  Ingham  Post  No.  95,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.     They  have  several  articles  of  great  historic  values  in  their 


284  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


home,  one  a  table  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  years  old.  and  a  gold- 
smith's mortar  formerly  used  to  crush  eold. 


ROBERT  D.  BENNETT. 

Robert   D.    Bennett,   one  of   the   prosperous   and  highly   respected 
farmers  of  Douglas  precinct,   Nemaha  county,   Nebraska,   was  born  in' 
Scotland,  near  Edinburg,  December  2,  1833. 

His  father,  Hugh  Bennett,  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  was  by  occupa- 
tion a  coal  miner,  who  came  first  to  America,  about  1823,  to  see  his  only 
brother,  whose  death,  however,  occurred  in  Pennsylvania  before  his  ar- 
rival here.  After  eighteen  months  spent  in  this  country  at  that  time,  he 
returned  to  Scotland.  Subsequently,  at  dififerent  times,  members  of  the 
family  came  to  America,  a  son-in-law,  James  Stoddard,  and  his  wife 
and  children,  being  the  first.  They  came  in  1848.  In  1850  the  father 
returned,  accompanied  by  his  son  William,  and  in  185 1  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  mother  and  two  daughters  and  Robert  D.  This  last  party 
was  five  weeks  and  two  days  in  making  the  voyage  from  Liverpool  to 
New  Orleans.  They  settled  in  Jackson  county,  Illinois.  The  following 
year,  1852,  while  at  St.  Lousi  Missouri.  Hugh  Bennett  died  of  cholera, 
his  age  at  death  being  a  little  more  than  sixty  years.  His  widow  died  in 
Belleville,  Illinois,  in  i860.  She  was  before  marriage  Miss  Jane  Robin- 
son. Of  their  eight  children,  six  reached  adult  age,  namely  :  A^iolet,  wife 
of  James  Stoddard,  died  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1852;  Barbara  died 
in  Scotland;  William  died  in  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  in  1901 ;  Mrs. 
Sarah  Nicholson  is  a  widow  residing  in  Nemaha  county;  Robert  D.  is 
the  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Naysmith,  of 
Nemaha  county. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  285 

Robert  D.  Bennett  had  limited  educational  advantages  in  his  youth, 
his  schooling  being  obtained  chielly  in  night  sessions.  At  the  early  age 
of  ten  years  he  began  work  in  the  mines.  He  remained  a  member  of 
the  home  circle  until  his  marriage. 

Mr.  Bennett  was  first  married,  in  1856,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  to 
!Miss  Jane  Kinghorne,  who  died,  childless,  at  Belleville,  Illinois,  in  1862. 
March  4,  1869,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  E.  Long,  daughter  of  John  and 
Rachael  (Price)  Long.  John  Long  was  a  native  of  Washington  coun- 
ty, Maryland,  born  August  i,  181 1,  and  his  wife  was  a  native  of  Balti- 
more county,  that  state,  the  date  of  her  birth  being  October  29,  181 1. 
They  were  married  at  Beardstuwn,  Illinois,  November  2.  1836,  and  set- 
tled soon  afterward  on  a  farm  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
made  their  home  until  1S52.  That  year  they  moved  to  Atchison  county, 
Missouri,  and  in  1856  they  came  to  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska.  Before 
the  family  moved  here,  Mr.  Long  visited  this  locality  on  a  prospecting 
trip.  He  was  the  first  white  man  here.  The  first  house  he  built — a  double 
log  house — was  burned  by  the  Indians.  In  1857,  the  year  following  their 
permanent  settlement,  he  pre-empted  a  claim,  and  in  1866  he  took  a 
homestead  claim,  making  in  all  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres ;  and  by 
industry  and  good  management  he  accumulated  a  competency.  He  and 
his  good  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  follows:  Ephraim, 
born  in  1838,  died  in  Nemaha  county,  in  ]\[ay,  1890,  leaving  a  familv 
of  four  .sons  and  one  daughter:  John,  who  died  in  childhood  in  Illinois; 
A.  J.,  who  died  in  1856;  Mrs.  Bennett,  born  in  Illinois,  August  9,  1842; 
Melinda  Ann,  wife  of  William  Stoddard,  was  born  in  1844:  Josephine, 
wife  of  John  Loveless;  Rachel  Meh'ina,  wife  of  Elbridge  Hughes;  Mary 
Jane;  Louisa  B.,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years:  and  the  youngest,  a 
daughter,  died  in  infancy,  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.   Bennett  have  had  seven  children,  namely:   Robert, 


286  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months;  Mary  ].,  wife  of  J.  G.  Ramsey; 
Frank,  a  farmer,  resides  near  his  father;  Anna,  wife  of  Albert  Allspa; 
Rachael,  wife  of  Russell  Razean;  Grace,  at  home;  and  an  infant  son. 
Mr.  Bennett  has  taken  pleasure  in  affording  his  children  better  educa- 
tional advantages  than  it  was  possible  for  him  to  have  in  his  youth.  His 
daughter  Anna  won  the  one  hundred  dollar  prize,  awarded  for  scholar- 
ship, at  the  Auburn  high  school. 

It  was  on  Christmas  Day,  1869,  that  Mr.  Bennett  landed  in  Nemaha 
county,  Nebraska,  with  his  wife,  and  they  took  up  their  permanent  abode 
here  on  land  he  purchased  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre. 
Several  years  previous  to  this,  in  1857,  he  had  been  here  and  pre-empted 
land.  A  change  in  the  law,  however,  made  this  pre-emption  claim  invalid. 
He  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres,  well  improved,  where  he  carries 
on  general  farming.  During  the  early  years  of  his  residence  here  he 
worked  early  and  late,  but  of  recent  years  as  his  health  and  strength 
have  waned,  he  has  turned  the  laborious  part  of  the  farm  work  over  to 
younger  and  stronger  hands.  His  present  residence  he  built  in  1883. 
A  large  two-story,  square  house,  it  stands  in  a  pleasant  location;  its 
books  and  its  pictures,  and  its  general  surroundings,  both  inside  and 
out,  give  evidence  of  the  culture  and  refinement  of  the  family  as  well 
as  the  prosperity  which  is  theirs. 

Mr.  Bennett  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  has  harmonized  with  the  Republican  party  ever  since,  always  taking 
an  active  interest  in  local  affairs  and  frequently,  as  a  delegate,  attending 
the  conventions  of  his  party. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  287 

O.  H.  LOCH. 

O.  H.  Loch,  county  treasurer  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  is  one 
of  the  well-known  and  popular  citizens  of  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  August  3,  1875,  in  Pawnee  county,  and  is  a  son  of  the  late  Walter 
Loch,  an  early  settler  here  and  a  native  of  Scotland.  In  that  country 
Walter  Loch  married  Isabella  Rutherford,  and  in  1859  they  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Henry  county,  Illinois.  Fourteen  years  la- 
ter they  came  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  and  settled  in  West  Branch 
township,  where  Walter  Loch  operated  a  farm.  He  died  there  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years.  He  became  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  township 
and  held  many  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Republican  and  served  many  times  as  delegate  to  conventions  and  for 
three  years  was  a  county  commissioner.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  Both  parents  were  most  estimable  Christian 
people.  They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children  born  to  them  as  follows : 
Mrs.  Jennie  Scott;  Mrs.  Ellen  Welch;  George;  James;  Walter  C,  assist- 
ant county  treasurer;  Mary  Loch;  O.  H. ;  W.  T. ;  A.  R. ;  Bessie  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years;  Mrs.  Katie  Reece  died  aged  twenty-seven  years. 

O.  H.  Loch  was  reared  on  the  old  homestead  and  developed  a  fine 
physique  in  the  active  outdoor  life  of  the  farm.  He  was  educated  in 
the  local  schools  and  spent  two  years  at  the  Pawnee  Academy.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  a  time  and  then  served  three  years  as 
assistant  cashier  in  the  First  National  Bank.  His  eminent  qualifications 
and  his  popularity  made  him  the  choice  of  his  party  and  the  public  for 
the  office  of  county  treasurer,  to  which  honorable  position  he  was  elected 
in  1901,  having  a  majority  of  si.xty-one  votes  over  his  opponent,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1903  with  a  majority  of  seven  hundred  and  si.xty-three. 

On  August  2T,,  1900,  Mr.  Loch  was  married  to  Miss  H.  M.  Kelley, 


288  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

and  they  have  one  son,  OHver  H.     Fraternally  Mr.  Loch  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low, also  a  member  of  Pawnee  Lodge  No.  23,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 

Lie  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  youngest  county  treasurer  in 
the  state. 

MICHAEL  SHAFER. 

Michael  Shafer,  who  is  a  prominent  retired  farmer  in  Stella,  Ne- 
braska, has  enjoyed  a  most  prosperous  career  of  over  twenty-five  years 
in  Southeastern  Nebraska,  and  he  is  certainly  deser\-ing  of  the  rewards 
of  his  life's  efiforts,  because  of  his  willing  industry  and  perseverance  in 
striving  for  a  definite  goal.  He  is  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  wealthy  men 
of  Richardson  county,  and  is  accordingly  esteemed  for  the  successful  out- 
come of  his  useful  and  well  spent  life.  He  came  to  Nebraska  before 
the  days  of  that  state's  great  prosperity,  having  only  a  small  amount  of 
capital,  and  by  judicious  investment  and  wise  management,  supplemented 
always  by  his  energy  and  diligence,  in  a  few  years  he  came  into  posses- 
sion of  a  large  amount  of  landed  property,  and  has  ever  since  been  on 
the  up  grade  of  financial  and  material  prosperity. 

i\Ir.  Shafer  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  December  3,  1848, 
and  when  almost  thirty  years  of  age,  on  August  28,  1878,  arrived 
in  Falls  City,  Nebraska,  from  Carroll  county,  Illinois,  where  he  had 
been  reared  from  the  age  of  three  years.  His  parents  were  George  and 
Rebecca  Ann  (Miller)  Shafer,  both  natives  of  Germany,  whence  they 
were  brought  to  this  country  at  the  respective  ages  of  eight  and  five 
years.  His  maternal  grandfather  Miller  spent  fourteen  weeks  on  the 
voyage  to  this  country,  and,  coming  here  with  small  means,  followed 
farming  in  the  states  of  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Mis- 
souri ;  he  reared  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  George  and  Rebecca  Ann 
Shafer  were  industrious  people,  and  to  the  property  inherited  from  their 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  289 

parents  they  added  a  large  bulk  by  their  own  efforts,  and  were  able  to 
set  their  cliildren  on  the  sea  of  life  with  gocd  advantages.  They  were 
members  of  the  Evangelical  church. 

The  children  born  to  George  and  Rebecca  Ann  Shafer  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Elizabeth,  a  widow  in  Stella,  has  six  children ;  William,  who  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  served  for  six  months  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  and  was  discharged  from  the  hospital,  is  now  a  retired 
farmer  in  Polo,  Illinois,  with  two  daughters:  Mrs.  ]\Ielvina  Manning  was 
accidentally  killed  while  driving  a  team,  and  left  five  children ;  the  fourth 
is  Michael  Shafer;  Reuben  is  a  retired  farmer  in  Brookville,  Illinois,  and 
has  three  sons  and  three-daughters;  George  lives  at  Fremont,  Carroll 
county,  Illinois,  and  has  a  daughter  and  twin  sons,  the  latter  as  much  alike 
as  two  peas:  Joseph  died  in  Illinois  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  leaving  a 
son  and  a  daughter ;  Wesley  is  in  Jewell  City,  Kansas ;  Martha,  the  widow 
of  Henry  Weaver,  of  Richardson  county,  has  five  children ;  and  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Campbell,  of  Polo,  Illinois,  and  has  two  living  daughters, 
and  lost  four. 

Mr.  Michael  Shafer  was  reared  on  a  farm,  enjoying  only  a  fair 
common  schooling,  which  in  his  later  years  he  has  supplemented  by  abund- 
ant reading  and  intelligent  observation  of  affairs  of  the  world.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  began  working  in  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Polo,  Illinois, 
and  was  thus  engaged  steadily  for  three  years,  and  then  for  five  follow- 
ing winters.  He  remained  at  home  until  his  removal  to  Nebraska  in 
1878.  He  came  here  with  six  hundred  dollars,  and  first  bought  an  eighty 
acre  farm.  He  sold  this  two  years  later,  and  purchased  a  quarter  section 
at  ten  dollars  an  acre,  later  forty  acres  for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  still 
later  eighty  acres  for  thirty-two  hundred  dollars.  This  fine  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  is  now  worth  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
dollars  an  acre.     It  is  divided  and  conducted  as  two  farms  with  two  sets 


290         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

of  buildings.  In  addition  he  owns  his  good  home  in  Stella,  with  eight 
lots  in  all.  He  has  carried  on  general  farming,  and  of  late  years  has  done 
considerable  stock-raising. 

Mr.  Shafer  was  married  December  19,  1886.  to  Miss  Lillie  Ann 
Bright,  who  was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  in  1865,  and  died  on 
the  home  farm  in  Nebraska,  December  23,  1891,  having  lost  an  infant 
daughter.  Bertha  Adelia,  and  leaving  her  only  living  daughter,  Jessie 
IMyrtle  who  was  born  June  23,  1890.  Mrs.  Shafer  was  a  good  scholar 
and  a  musician,  and  a  lady  of  much  culture  and  ability,  and  especially 
skillful  in  all  kinds  of  needle  work.  Her  death  was  due  to  consumption, 
and  she  was  ill  from  March  to  December.  ]\Ir.  Shafer  was  married  on 
September  i,  1893,  to  his  present  wife,  who  was  Mrs.  Malinda  Sultz- 
baugh,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  (Erdman)  Kehres,  the 
former  of  who  Avas  born  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  5, 
1806,  and  the  latter  born  in  1808,  and  died  in  1884.  Mrs.  Shafer  has  her 
only  son,  William  Sultzbaugh,  who  was  born  in  1882,  and  is  a  steady 
young  man  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shafer 
were  married  in  Chicago,  while  he  was  there  attending  the  world's  fair. 
Mrs.  Shafer  was  a  successful  manager  of  a  boarding  house  in  Chicago 
for  six  years,  at  two  locations  on  the  north  side,  and  owing  to  her  energy 
and  executive  ability,  she  has  not  been  content  to  be  at  ease  since  her  mar- 
riage, and  in  the  fall  of  1903  opened  a  boarding  house  in  Stella,  of  which 
she  is  the  popular  hostess  and  which  has  a  well  deserved  reputation  for 
appetizing  and  wholesome  cuisine  and  first-class  homelike  comfort.  She 
is  also  a  member  and  an  active  worker  in  the  Baptist  church,  and  is  held 
in  the  highest  esteem  among  all  circles  of  Stella  and  the  vicinity.  Mr. 
Shafer  has  fraternal  affiliations  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  in  politics  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  content  to  perform  his 
duties  of  citizenship  by  casting  intelligently  his  ballot  for  good  men  and 


WALTER  D.  BUSH 


MRS.  WALTER  D.  BUSH 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  291 

good  principles.     His  religious  creed  is  a  strict  observance  of  the  golden 
rule,  and  his  life  history  shows  how  well  he  has  followed  this  principle. 


WALTER  D.   BUSH. 

Walter  D.  Bush,  who  passed  away  from  his  sorrowing  friends  and 
household  on  October  26,  1903,  had  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
passed  his  days  in  retirement  from  the  activities  of  his  earlier  career, 
and  his  death  occurred  on  his  pleasant  home  farm  in  Glen  Rock  precinct. 
Nemaha  county. 

Mr.  Bush  was  born  in  Leeds  county,  Ontario,  Canada,  January 
5,  1828,  and  had  accordingly  li\'ed  more  than  three  quarters  of  a  century 
when  his  life  was  terminated.  He  had  in  his  veins  a  mixture  of  English, 
Irish  and  German  blood,  his  paternal  ancestors  being  English  and  Irish, 
and  his  mother's  people  being  of  German  origin.  His  father,  F.  T.  Bush, 
was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  about  1799.  and  died  in  Johnson 
county,  Nebraska,  about  1885.  Grandfather  \\'illiani  T.  Bush,  a  nati\-e 
of  Rutland,  Vermont,  was  a  tailor  and  fine  machinist.  He  died  when  his 
son.  F.  T.,  was  a  boy,  and  grandmother  Bush  subsecjuently  married  a 
Mr.  Sutherland.  F.  T.  Bush  married,  in  1825,  Xarcissa  ^Nliddleton,  a 
native  of  Canada,  born  in  1805,  daughter  of  Ezekiah  and  Betsy  (Carpen- 
ter) Middleton,  of  Rutland,  Vermont.  They  became  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  all  of  whom  reached  adult  age,  namely:  Sidney,  a 
farmer  and  miller  in  Canada,  and  later  in  Nebraska,  to  which  place  he 
came  in  1875,  ^^^^  '■'^  this  state  in  1900,  leaving  a  widow  and  one  daugh- 
ter and  an  adopted  son ;  Walter  D. ;  Emma,  widow  of  \Y.  W.  West,  lives 
in  Lenawee  county,  ]Michigan ;  Azubah,  wife  of  Knowlton  Lawrence, 
died  in  Iowa  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  lea\-ing  one  son;  Jane, 


292         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

unmarried,  died  in  South  Dakota  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years;  Andrew, 
a  farmer  in  Johnson  county,  Nebraska,  is  married  and  has  a  family  of 
four  children ;  Hester  Ann,  wife  of  Edward  Williams,  died  in  Lockport, 
New  York,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  four  cliildren ;  Albert, 
a  Montana  farmer,  has  a  wife,  two  sons  and  two  daughters;  Jonas,  a 
Uuion  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  died  in  hospital  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas, 
in  October,  1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  Wallace  W.,  a  farmer  and 
miller  of  Idaho,  has  a  wife  and  eight  children ;  and  Julia,  wife  of  Austin 
Nickelson,  of  the  state  of  Washington,  is  the  mother  of  five  children. 

The  first  emigration  of  the  Bush  family  to  Nebraska  was  in  1866, 
when  Albert  and  Atidrew  Bush,  the  latter  of  whom  died  June  10,  1904, 
settled  in  Johnson  county.  A  year  later,  in  1867,  Walter  D.  Bush  left 
his  home  in  Canada  and  followed  his  brothers  to  this  state.  Here  he 
acquired  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Glen  Rock  precinct, 
Nemaha  county,  and  made  that  his  home  and  place  of  business  all  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  useful  life,  having  made  farming  and  milling  his 
principal  occupations. 

February  14,  1849,  Walter  D.  Bush  married  Miss  Eliza  Ann  Bul- 
lard,  who  was  born  in  Canada  in  1829,  a  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Amy 
(Sly)  Bullard.  She  shared  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  life  with  him  for 
over  half  a  century,  until  her  death,  January  9,  1900.  Two  children 
were  given  to  them,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  the  former  dying  in  Canada  at 
the  age  of  four  years ;  the  latter,  with  her  family,  now  residing  at  the 
old  homestead. 

About  twenty-five  years  before  his  death  Mr.  Bush  met  with 
a  serious  accident  which  resulted  in  the  loss  of  his  left  eye.  In  politics 
he  was  throughout  his  long  residence  in  the  United  States  a  Republican. 
Whether  in'  the  United  States  or  in  Canada  he  always  stood  ready  to 
defend  the  stars  and  stripes,  as  did  his  father  and  grandfather  before 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


293 


him.  His  grandfather  Busli's  mother  was  a  daugliter  of  Charles  Car- 
rolton,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
family  have  long  heen  identified  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
In  one  branch  of  the  famih"  were  found  five  brothers  and  two  sisters, 
the  brothers  all  Methodist  ministers  and  the  sisters  wives  of  Metho- 
dist ministers.  INIr.  Bush  was  himself  a  stanch  Methodist,  as  also  was 
his  good  wife,  and  their  only  daughter,  Ruhama,  married  a  Methodist 
minister,  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Lake. 

D.  B.  Lake,  whose  name  thus  carries  forward  the  genealogical 
record  and  family  history  of  this  branch  of  the  Bush  family  into  suc- 
ceeding generations,  was  born  in  Canada,  June  15,  1845,  a  son  of 
Amos  and  Mary  (Dennis)  Lake,  the  former  a  native  of  Yates  county. 
New  York,  born  in  1820,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  1822.  His  parents  were  married  in  Victoria  county,  Ontario,  in 
1842,  and  passed  their  lives  as  farmers.  Their  large  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren all  reached  maturity.  D.  B.  Lake  in  his  youth  received  an  aca- 
demic education,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began  working  at  the  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  followed  for  three  years.  Early  in  life,  in  Vic- 
toria county,  Ontario,  he  was  made  a  local  preacher,  and  in  186S  he 
joined  the  Toronto  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
1870  he  came  to  Nebraska,  and  preached  on  circuits  for  several  years 
in  Missouri  and  Nebraska.  Einally  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
seek  a  supernumerary  relation.  Sulisequently  he  returned  to  the  active 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  for  some  years  he  had  regular  charges,  being 
a  potent  force  in  the  c<inference  and  doing  much  valuable  work,  build- 
ing churches  and  adding  to  the  membership. 

Mr,  Lake  married  Miss  Bush  December  14,  1870,  in  Glen  Rock 
precinct,  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  where  they  now  live.  They  have 
had  two  children,  Walter,  who  died  in  infancv,  and  Charles,  who  has 


294  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

chief  charge  of  the  farm.  ]\Ir.  Lake  is  a  broad-ganged  man,  mentally, 
socially  and  physically,  weighing  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds. 
His  library  nf  eight  hundred  volumes  is  one  of  the  largest  owned  by 
a  private  indix-idual  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and  he  shows  the  polish 
that  comes  from  library  study  as  well  as  that  which  comes  from  contact 
with   men  and  the  world. 


J.  LEE  DALBEY. 

J.  Lee  Dalbey,  publisher  and  editor  of  the  ,Shubert  Citizen,  has 
been  in  the  printing  and  newspaper  business  since  he  was  a  boy  of  six- 
teen years,  having  been  a  man  of  experience  in  the  profession  long 
before  the  modern  machinery  for  type-setting  and  rapid  manifold 
printing-  were  thought  of.  His  career  has  been  typical,  for  he  has 
had  many  of  the  ups  and  downs  of  the  veritable  journalist,  and  only 
recent!}',  in  August,  1903,  his  plant  was  burned  out  with  great  loss  to 
him,  but  the  Citizen  still  continues  to  enlighten  tlie  public  of  all  the 
news  in  and  about  Shubert,  and  in  the  spring  of  1904  the  paper 
moved  to  a  home  of  its  own,  and  was  equipped  with  a  new  dress,  im- 
proved macliinery  and  everything  mechanical  needed  to  make  it  keep 
its  lead  among  the  enterprising,  bright  and  public-spirited  journals 
of  Richardson  ounty.  The  Shubert  Citizen  was  establish.ed  by  IMr. 
Dalbey  on  April  6,  1893,  'i"cl  '^^s  had  a  successful  career  of  more  than 
a  decade.  It  was  begun  as  a  seven-column  folio,  and  is  now  a  six- 
column  quarto,  with  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred  subscribers, 
and  the  office  does  an  especially  large  business  in  job  printing  and  ad- 
vertising, for  which  it  is  well  equipped  and  has  gained  a  reputation  for 
liigh-grade   work. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  295 

Mr.  Dalbey  was  Ijorn  in  Jamestown,  Ohio,  July  i,  1846,  a  son  of 
Dr.  Jacob  S.  and  Delilah  Albertine  (Jolmsun)  Dalbey,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Ohio  in  181 1,  and  the  latter  in  Virginia,  March  4, 
1812,  and  they  were  married  at  the  county  seat  of  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  in  January,  183 1.  Dr.  Dalbey  was  a  life-long  eclectic  physician, 
and  was  a  resident  of  Indiana,  where  one  son  was  born,  later  of  Ohio, 
and  in  1847  came  to  Iowa.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  property, 
and  in  addition  to  his  practice  carried  on  merchandising  for  some 
time.  He  died  in  Montezuma,  Iowa,  January  2y.  1866,  and  his  wife 
sur\i\-ed  him  and  died  at  Falls  City,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  They  reared  ten  of  their  thirteen  children,  and  seven  are 
now  living,  as  follows:  Simeon  J.  is  a  music  dealer  in  Des  ^Moines, 
Iowa,  and  has  three  children ;  J.  AA'.  is  an  attorney  at  Hamburg  Iowa, 
and  president  of  the  Big  Four  Alining  Compan)-  at  Deadwood,  South 
Dakota,  and  has  one  son;  Airs.  Louisa  Day  lives  in  Helva,  Nebraska, 
and  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters :  J.  Lee  is  the  ne.xt  child ;  Airs. 
Mary  Margaret  Sherman,  of  Kankakee,  Illinois,  has  two  children: 
Frances  Lydia  Davis  lives  in  Falls  City:  and  Airs.  .Alice  ^IcLeod  has 
two  sons,  and  her  husband  is  manager  of  a  mine  at  Deadwood,  South 
Dakota. 

J.  Lee  Dalbey  was  in  the  common  schools  of  Montezuma.  Iowa, 
until  May  21,  1861,  when  he  began  as  apprentice  to  the  printing  trade 
with  Frank  Campbell,  who  was  later  a  ca])tain  in  the  army  and  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  Iowa.  Before  coming  to  Nebraska  in  1879.  Air. 
Dalbey  edited  four  different  papers  in  [Missouri  and  two  in  Iowa, 
He  established  the  Leader  at  Falls  City,  and  in  1888  came  to  Stella 
and  established  and  conducted  the  Stella  Press,  which  he  carried  on 
until  coming  to  Shubert. 

Mr.   Dalbey  was  married  at  Hamburg,   Iowa,   July   31,    1870,   to 


296  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Miss  Belle  Hall,  of  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  George  B.  and  Delia 
(Higg-enbotham)  Hall,  both  of  Kentucky.  Two  children  were  born  of 
tliis  marriage,  but  the  son,  Louis,  died  in  Albany,  Missouri,  when  a 
month  old;  the  daughter,  Mrs.  Agnes  Tipton,  now  resides  in  Albany, 
Missouri,  and  has  one  son.  Mr.  Dalbey  affiliates  with  the  Masonic 
order,  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  a  commander  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  is  a  Highlander,  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Security.  Li  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  by  principle,  but  runs  his 
paper  independently ;  his  relatives  are  nearly  all  Republicans.  He  has 
never  sought  or  held  office,  but  was  solicited  to  run  for  rej^resentative 
to  the  legislature.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  are  very  popular  people  in  the  town  and  vicinity.  They 
erected  their  present  home  and  moved  into  it  in  October,  1899. 


PL\RRY  GUY  HOOVER. 

Harry  Guy  Hoover  is  a  prominent  young  agriculturist  and  stock 
farmer  residing  one  mile  west  of  Nemaha,  where  he  was  born  twenty- 
two  years  ago,  September  29,  1881.  His  father,  John  P.  Hoover  was 
long  a  well  known  resident  of  this  locality,  and  here  he  was  called  from 
this  earth  on  the  24th  of  November,  1900,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  His  birth  occurred  in  the  east,  but  he  was  among  the  first  to 
seek  a  home  ^vithin  the  borders  of  Nebraska,  where  prosperity  rewarded 
his  efforts,  and  at  his  death  he  left  a  large  estate.  In  this  cimnty 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Huldah  Pavey,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and 
here  they  spent  nearly  their  entire  lives  and  here  eight  children  were 
born  to  bless  their  home,  but  the  subject  of  this  review  is  the  only  one 
©f  this  large  number  now  living.     The  mother  entered  into  eternal  rest 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  297 

on  the  19th  of  Xovember,  1902,  jxissing-  away  in  the  faith  of  the  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  both  she  and  her  luisband  were  worthy  mem- 
bers. Mr.  John  P.  Hoover  gave  liis  pohtical  support  to  the  Repubhcan 
party,  and  was  a  stahvart  advocate  of  its  principles. 

Harry  Guy  Hoover  recei\etl  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Nemaha,  and  here  he  has  made  his  home  throughout  his  life.  He  was 
the  sole  heir  of  his  father's  large  estate,  consisting  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  divided  into  two  farms,  and  also  large  herds  of  cattle, 
hiorses,  sheep  and  swine.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  a  fine  grade  of  Shropshire  sheep,  selling  from  one  to  two  car-loads 
annually,  has  sixty  head  of  graded  shorthorn  cattle,  and  has  about 
fifteen  head  of  horses,  well  adapted  to  the  different  needs  of  the  farm. 
His  hogs  are  of  the  graded  Poland  China  breed,  which  he  fattens  for  the 
market.  The  substantial  buildings  which  adorn  this  valuable  homestead 
were  placed  there  by  his  father,  and  the  residence  is  surr(^unde(l  by 
beautiful  shade  and  fruit  trees.  ^Ir.  Hoover  is  a  young  man  of  ex- 
cellent education,  is  broad-minded  and  patriotic,  and  merits  the  g^enuine 
regard  which  is  freely  accorded  him. 


JOHN  D.  SHUBERT. 

John  D.  Shubert,  proprietor  of  the  Cedar  Lake  Farm,  and  dealer 
in  fruit,  poultry  and  ice.  at  the  pretty  little  town  of  Shubert.  which 
was  named  in  honor  of  his  father,  has  built  up  an  enterprise  of  which 
he  and  the  surrounding  country  may  well  be  proud.  In  fact,  the  Cedar 
Lake  Farm  has  reason  to  be  called  an  institution,  not  a  private  farm, 
for  the  beauty  and  charm  which  it  lends  to  the  town,  its  many  advant- 
ages as  a  place  of  recreation  and  pleasure  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 


298         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

country  around,  are  within  the  reach  of  all,  and  the  farm  offers  many 
of  the  attractions  of  an  urban  park  to  the  residents  of  Shubert.  The 
Cedar  Lake  Farm  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  town,  part  of  it 
being  within  the  corporation,  and  the  grounds  and  the  pretty  ten-room 
cottage  face  the  east.  There  are  eighty-six  acres  in  the  place,  and 
there  is  no  better  fruit  farm  in  southeastern  Nebraska,  and  few  so 
good.  Between  the  farm  and  the  town  is  a  wide  a\enue  overarched 
with  trees.  Mr.  Shubert  bought  this  place  of  his  father,  and  it  was 
then  part  of  a  wheat  farm,  with  no  improvements  save  some  fences, 
so  that  the  transformation  that  he  has  wrought  in  its  appearance  and 
productivity  is  nothing  short  of  wonderful.  There  are  two  fine  apple 
orchards  of  twelve  hundred  trees  of  choice  varieties,  an  acre  of  peach 
trees,  over  two  hundred  cherry  trees,  five  hundred  grape  vines,  an  acre 
of  blackberries  and  an  acre  and  a  half  of  strawberries.  There  is  a 
fine"  lake  of  spring  water,  from  four  to  twelve  feet  deep,  well  stocked 
with  fish.  The  ice  house  holds  four  hundred  tons,  and  from  it  the  town 
is  supplied  with  that  commodity.  There  are  also  arrangements  for 
bathing  and  boating  in  the  summer-time,  and  skating  and  toboganning 
in  the  winter  season,  so  that  it  is  a  model  farm,  a  model  home,  and  a 
delightful   summer  resort. 

JNIr.  Shubert  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Illinois,  February  29, 
i860,  being  thus  a  "leap-year  child,"  and  is  the  second  child  and  eldest 
son  of  the  eleven  children  of  H.  \\^  and  Mary  (Griffin")  Shubert.  As 
the  family  moved  to  Nebraska  in  1865  as  pioneers  to  the  state  he  has 
lived  here  practically  all  his  life  and  is  a  resident  of  forty  years"  stand- 
ing. He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Nemaha  and  Richard- 
son counties,  being  in  school  during  the  winter  and  at  work  on  his 
father's  farm  during  the  other  seasons  of  the  year.  For  several  years 
he  was  a  leading  hardware  merchant  in  Shubert.     He  is  a  natural  car- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  299 

penter,  and  has  built  twelve  residences  in  Shubert,  all  of  which  he  has 
sold,  and  in  1900  he  erected  the  beautiful  story-and-a-half  cottage  on 
his  place. 

He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and 
was  married  November  20.  1882.  at  Nemaha  city,  to  Miss  Rosa  L. 
Rogers,  who  was  born  in  Hardin  county.  Iowa.  October  2,  1861,  a 
daughter  of  Ezra  D.  and  ^Invy  (Sumner)  Rogers,  the  former  of  whom 
v,-as  horn  in  183 1  and  reared  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  and  the  lat- 
ter was  born  in  Missouri,  January  8,  1837.  These  parents  were  mar- 
ried ]\[arch  27,  1856.  and  reared  seven  of  their  eight  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Laura  E..  the  wife  of  James  \V.  Coons,  of  Oklahoma,  has  five 
children;  Helen  M.  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Rimel,  of  Auburn,  Nebraska; 
]\Irs.  Shubert  is  the  third  of  the  children;  Alva,  in  Auburn,  has  three 
children;  Roy  is  a  farmer  in  Aspinwall  precinct  and  has  one  daughter; 
Effie  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Duerfeldt.  a  farmer  of  Aspinwall  precinct, 
and  has  fom'  children;  and  Etlward  is  in  Oklahoma  and  was  married 
jMarcli.  IQ04.  Mrs.  Shubert's  parents  came  to  Nebraska  in  1866  and 
settled  on  the  home  farm  in  Aspinwall  precinct,  Nemaha  county,  but 
are  now  living  retired  in  Auburn,  being  bright  and  active  in  their  ad- 
vanced years.  JNIr.  and  Mrs.  Shubert  ha\-e  three  children  and  have  lost 
one:  ^lerle.  born  October  30.  1887,  is  in  the  eighth  grade  of  school: 
Worth  was  born  September  22,  1889:  the  third  child,  a  daughter,  died 
in  infancy;  and  Dale  was  born  January  8.  1896.  ]\Ir.  Shubert  is  a 
Modern  ^^'oodman.  a  strong  Republican,  and  IMrs.  Shubert  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church. 


300  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ANTHONY  WAYNE  SNYDER. 

Anthony  Wayne  Snyder,  who  was  elected  county  supervisor  and 
county  commissioner  of  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  in  the  fall  of  1902, 
and  is  giving  most  excellent  satisfaction  to  all  in  that  responsible  office, 
first  came  to  Southeastern  Nebraska  thirtj'-three  yeaFS  ago,  and  has 
been  a  successful  farmer  and  prominent  resident  of  various  counties 
in  this  state  and  Kansas  ever  since. 

Mr.  Snyder  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  August  27,  1837,  a  son 
of  Eli  and  Barbara  (Manning)  Snyder,  the  former  a  son  of  Alexander 
Snyder,  and  a  native  of  INIaryland  and  of  an  old  family  of  that  state; 
the  latter  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  Eli  and  Bar- 
bara Snyder  both  died  in  Tippecanoe  City,  Ohio,  when  past  seventy  years 
of  age.  The  former  was  a  Democrat,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Nine  of  their  children  grew  up,  four  sons  and  five 
daughters. 

A.  'W.  Snyder  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  was  taught  early  the 
value  of  mainial  labor,  and  received  a  fair  education  in  the  public 
schools.  In  April,  1861,  a  few  days  after  Fort  Sumter  was  attacked,  he 
enlisted  at  Lawrenceburg.  Indiana,  in  Company  G.  Seventh  Indiana 
Infantry,  under  Captain  Lord  and  Colonel  Dumont.  He  was  at  the 
battle  of  Phillippi,  West  \'irginia.  and  at  Carrick's  Ford,  besides  other 
skirmishes.  He  received  an  honorable  disch.arge  at  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  after  a  creditable  record  as  a  soldier.  He  then  returned  home, 
an<l  in  1870  came  to  Neljraska,  locating  in  Nemaha  county  for  two 
years,  was  in  Richardson  county  for  five  years,  in  Johnson  cc^unty  nine 
years;  then  \\ent  to  Sherman  county,  Kansas,  and  was  on  a  home- 
stead for  five  years,  after  \\hich  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Gage  county. 
Nebraska,  and  bought  a  nice  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
about  two  miles  from  Adams.     He  raises  stock,  and  has  made  a  sue- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  301 

cess  of  his  ventures  since  coming  here.     His  farm  is  now  vahied  at  sixty 
dollars  an  acre. 

In  1862,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  Mr.  Snyder  Vvas  married  to 
Miss  Christine  Van  Dusen,  who  had  a  brother  in  the  Ci\'il  war.  Eight 
children  of  this  marriage  are  now  living,  as  follows :  Charles,  Edward, 
Harry,  Richard,  W.  Franklin,  Hattie,  Myrtle  and  Nellie.  Mr.  Snyder 
is  a  Democrat,  but  is  tolerant  in  his  views.  He  was  elected  county 
commissioner  by  a  majority  of  thirty-one  in  a  district  usually  Republi- 
can by  two  hundred  votes,  and  this  is  ample  evidence  of  the  esteem  and 
confidence  in  which  he  is  held  by  all  his  fellow  citizens  and  associates. 
He  is  a  man  of  ability  in  the  performance  of  his  every-day  duties,  and 
his  frank  and  genial  nature  opens  the  way  for  the  formation  of  many 
friendships. 


DR.   W.   T.   SLOAN. 

Dr.  W.  T.  Sloan,  a  recent  addition  to  the  ranks  of  the  medical 
fraternity  of  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  and  whose  worth  as  a  man  and 
skill  as  a  practitioner  are  already  well  recognized  in  the  community, 
took  up  his  residence  in  Adams  in  July  1902.  He  is  thoroughly  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  his  profession,  has  a  mind  broadened  and  seasoned 
by  contact  with  men  and  books,  is  affable  and  genial  with  all,  and  has 
at  once  taken  rank  with  men  of  longer  residence  and  greater  experience. 

Dr.  Sloan  is  a  Kentuckian,  was  born  near  Mill  Springs,  Wayne 
county.  May  21,  1869,  and  comes  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  that 
county  and  state.  His  father,  C.  W.  Sloan,  was  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man, and  was  a  strong  advocate  of  Republican  principles,  during  the 
Civil  war  espousing  the  cause  of  the  Union.     He  died  aged  seventy- 


302         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

three  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mahala  Tate,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  by  her  marriage  became  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  eleven  of  ^\■hom  grew  up  and  are  still  living. 

Dr.  Sloan  was  reared  on  a  Wayne  county  fami,  where  he  developed 
his  muscle  by  hard  work,  besides  learning  many  other  valuable  lessons 
which  have  staid  Avith  him  in  later  life.  He  attended  the  common 
schools,  and  after  deciding  on  the  profession  of  medicine  as  his  life 
work,  entered  the  Lincoln  Medical  College,  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1898.  He  had  previously 
studied  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Latta,  a  well  known  physician  of 
Nebraska.  ' 

December  18,  1901,  Dr.  Sloan  was  married  at  Firth,  Nebraska, 
to  Miss  Olive  McElvain,  a  native  of  Nebraska  and  a  lady  of  much  in- 
telligence and  a  true  helpmate  to  her  husband.  She  was  reared  and 
educated  in  this  state.  Dr.  Sloan  is  a  Republican;  he  is  a  member  of 
the  State  Medical  Society;  and  affiliates  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  medical  examiner  for  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


JOHN-  P.  KING. 


John  P.  King,  who  has  recently  retired  from  active  participation 
in  a  long  and  successful  career  as  stock  farmer,  is  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  having  taken  up  his  abode  here 
as  an  actual  settler  in  the  fall  of  i860.  He  bought  eighty  acres  of  the 
Indians,  for  three  dollars  per  acre,  at  the  site  where  Barada  now  stands, 
and  on  this  land  he  made  the  beginnings  of  his  subsequent  prosperity. 
He  has  always  been  known  as  an  indefatigable  worker  as  well  as  capable 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  303 

business  manager,  and  the  large  estate  which  he  now  owns  is  entirely 
the  result  of  his  own  labors  and  intelligent  efforts. 

He  was  born  at  the  heatl  of  Hemlock  Lake,  in  Livingston  county. 
New  York,  October  12,  1833,  and  in  1856  went  west  to  Clayton  county, 
Iowa,  and  from  there  four  years  later  made  his  final  long  removal  to 
Richardson  county,  Nebraska.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  sur- 
rounded by  the  primitive  conditions  .of  real  pioneer  life,  and  his  suc- 
cess was  not  gained  without  many  privations  in  early  life.  He  gave 
up  active  farming  in  1901,  when  he  had  nearly  reached  the  age  of  three 
score  years  and  ten,  and  moved  into  a  comfortable  and  pretty  house 
in  the  town  of  Shubert,  where  lie  now  enjoys  comfortable  ease,  al- 
though he  is  vigorous  and  energetic  as  of  yore  and  gives  his  attention 
to  business  and  matters  affecting  the  public  welfare.  He  owns  four 
farms  in  the  county,  aggregating  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  also 
has  twenty  acres  of  land  just  outside  the  city  of  Lincoln.  He  has  fed 
and  shipped  large  numbers  of  stock  of  his  own  raising,  and  has  been 
successful  in  all  departments  of  his  fanning.  He  has  always  been  a 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  aspired  to  ofifice,  although 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  mayor  of  Shubert  in  1903,  and  has  done 
well  by  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  attention  he  has  given  to  the  affairs  of 
that  village.  He  ctffiliates  with  Hope  Lodge  No.  29,  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  was  master  of  the  lodge  for  ten  years. 

^Ir.  King  comes  of  a  good  and  long-established  family  in  this 
country.  His  great-grandfather,  Simeon  King,  married  Mary  Carver,  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Carver,  who  held  a  commission  from  the  king  to 
treat  with  the  Indians  about  the  IMississippi  river,  and  had  a  deed  to  a 
tract  of  land  near  that  river,  which  in  size  was  to  be  a  day's  journey 
in  each  direction,  but  this  deed  was  annulled  after  the  Re\'olution. 
Simeon  King,  Ji'-,  the  grandfather,  was  a  farmer  in  Vermont  and  New 


304  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

York,  and  most  of  his  children  were  born  in  the  latter  state.  His 
chikh-en  were  as  follows :  Ruth,  a  Mrs.  Russell,  of  ^^'aukeslla,  Wiscon- 
sin;  ]Minerva,  the  wife  of  a  farmer  in  New  York  by  the  name  of  Graves; 
Mrs.  Olive  Carpenter,  who  died  in  Springwater,  New  York;  Martin, 
who  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  went  to  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  in 
Livingston  county.  New  York,  leaving  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Sid- 
ney, who  was  an  Ohio  farmer;  Mrs.  Mindwell  Hooker;  Mason  Avery; 
and  Eliza,  who  died  in  girlhood. 

Mason  Avery  King,  Mr.  King-'s  father,  was  born  in  1795,  and 
died  in  1872.  He  married,  in  1825,  Phebe  Doud,  of  Connecticut,  who 
was  then  eighteen  years  old,  and  who  died  in  Richardson  county,  Ne- 
braska, in  Humboldt,  twelve  years  later  than  her  husband,  at  the  age 
of  sevent}'-seven  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children : 
Jane  is  the  present  wife  of  George  Swick,  of  Abilena,  Kansas,  and  her 
first  husband  was  Samuel  Young.  Ann  married,  first,  Mr.  J.  M. 
Austin  and,  second,  a  Mr.  Bradford,  and  she  died  in  Shiawassee 
county,  Michigan,  leaving  one  son.  Levi  King  was  in  the  Union  army, 
and  died  at  Jackson,  Tennessee,  filling  an  unknown  grave.  John  P. 
King  is  the  fourth  of  the  family.  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  M.  D.  Ford, 
in  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and  has  four  daughters  and  one  son.  Mary 
E.  was  a  nurse  in  the  Benton  barracks  during  the  Civil  war,  and  was 
twice  married,  leaving,  at  her  death,  two  sons,  Fred  and  Ernest  Fisher. 
Charles  C.  King  served  throughout  the  Civil  war,  having  been  honor- 
ably discharged  three  times,  and  came  out  a  non-commissioned  officer; 
he  lives  in  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and'  has  one  daughter  and  five  sons. 
Hiram  D.  King  was  a  member  of  the  Missouri  state  militia  during  the 
Civila  war,  and  died  in  Peru,  Nebraska,  leaving  a  wife  and  two  sons. 
Daniel  ^Yebster  King,  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  has  two  sons  and 
one  daughter.      L.    R.    King    lives    in    Superior,   Nebraska,  and  is  a 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  305 

widower  witli  two  sons  and  three  daugliters ;  he  entered  tlie  Union 
army  at  tlie  age  of  seventeen  and  ser\-ed  in  the  caN'alr}-  for  five  years, 
the  last  year  heing  spent  on  tlie  western  frontier.  Rose,  the  wife  of 
Frank  Berry,  died  in  Oregon  when  about  forty-nine  years  old,  leaving 
no  children.  Frank  M.  King  is  a  merchant  of  Holton,  Kansas,  and 
has  one  son  and  two  daughters.  Vinton  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 
Sarah,  the  widow  of  George  Lockridge,  who  was  a  Congregational 
minister,  resides  in  Long  Beach,  California,  and  has  two  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

Mr.  John  P.  King  was  married  at  Garnavillo,  Iowa,  May  19, 
1858,  to  Miss  Mary  Cornelia  Slocum,  who  was  bom  in  Linesville, 
CraM'ford  county,  Pennslyvania,  September  4,  1840,  and  comes  of  a 
well  known  and  prominent  family.  Her  parents  were  Samuel  E.  and 
Mar)'  V.  (Line)  Slocum,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Vergennes, 
Vermont,  January  i,  181 5,  and  now  resides  in  Falls  City,  Nebraska, 
in  his  ninetieth  year,  having  come  to  this  state  from  Minnesota  thirty- 
seven  years  ago,  and  having  followed  the  occupation  of  farming  dur- 
ing his  active  career;  the  latter  was  born  in  Plainfield,  New  Jersey, 
October  9,  1817,  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  leaving  five 
of  her  six  children:  Mrs.  King,  the  eldest;  Phebe  Storm,  in  Lincoln, 
Nebraska;  James  L.,  who  is  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Falls  City, 
Nebraska,  and  president  of  the  Richardson  County  Bank;  George  L., 
who  is  a  stock  farmer  in  Richardson  county;  and  Rachel  E.  Hutchins, 
of  Falls  City. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have  seven  children  living  of  the  eleven  born 
to  them.  Corydon  Elliott,  born  June  29,  1859,  was  the  first  child.  May, 
the  fifth  child,  is  the  wife  of  C.  O.  Tompkins,  a  prosperous  stock  farmer 
in  this  county,  and  has  three  daughters.  Helen  is  the  wife  of  Lee 
Bolejack,  a  farmer  at  Shubert.     Myrtle  is  the  wife  of  R.  A.  Downs, 


3o6         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

a  banker  in  Emerson,  Nebraska,  and  has  one  daughter.  Donna  is  the 
wife  of  Professor  Carr,  of  Shubert,  and  has  one  son;  her  husband  is 
principal  of  the  high  school.  John  Royal  King  was  graduated  from 
the  ^^'e3tern  Normal  College  of  Nebraska  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  for 
the  past  two  years  has  been  a  musician  with  the  United  States  navy, 
being  now  stationed  on  the  battleship  Topeka,  in  the  vicinity  of  Pana- 
ma :  he  is  a  natural  musician  and  has  been  with  the  Shubert  band.  J. 
V\'orth  King  is  farming  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have  five  grand- 
children: The  three  children  of  Mrs.  C.  O.  Tompkins,  Gladys,  Irene 
and  Helen ;  Helen,  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Downs :  and  John  Roland, 
the  bov  of  Mrs.  Carr. 


GEORGE  CROW. 

George  Crow,  said  to  be  the  oldest  living  resident  of  Nemaha 
county,  has  enjoyed  a  life  of  many  years  and  of  much  honor.  Being 
now  in  his  eighty-third  year,  he  has  a  retrospect  which  takes  in  the 
most  important  period  of  this  country's  history.  The  state  of  Nebraska 
was  not  admitted  into  the  Union  until  he  was  forty-six  years  old  and 
in  the  prime  of  his  manhood.  When  he  first  came  to  this  part  of  the 
country  the  land  was  still  in  undisputed  possession  of  the  Indians,  and 
his  first  departure  from  the  trans-Missouri  region  was  caused  by  the 
hostility  of  the  redmen.  He  has  made  his  name  honored  in  the  county 
because  of  his  jiarticipation  in  the  best  movements  for  development  and 
progress  and  because  of  liis  worthy  individual  career. 

Mr.  Crow's  father,  George  Crow,  came  to  America  from  Germany 
in  1798,  when  he  was  about  fifteen  years  old,  his  parents  settling  in 
New  Jersev.     He  was  a  brick-maker,  and  in  the  winter  followed  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


307 


fulling  trade  in  the  woolen  mills,  and  began  life  without  money,  prog- 
ressing to  comfortable  circumstances  before  his  death.  He  married 
Susan  Johnson  in  New  Jersey,  who  was  born  in  1792,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Johnson,  who  was  an  active  man  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  and 
died  at  ninety  years.  George  Crow  and  wife  had  nine  children,  five 
daughters  and  four  sons,  and  the  only  ones  now  living  are  George  and 
his  sister  Rachel,  who  is  the  widow  Remley,  living  in  Laharpe,  Kansas, 
and  the  mother  of  two  children.  The  daughter  Elizabeth  was  born  in 
1808  and  died  in  1896  in  Iowa,  haxing  been  the  mother  of  two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  Indiana  at  the 
age  of  forty  of  milk  sickness,  and  her  husband  died  there  in  the  fall 
of  1848.  Nearly  all  the  family  seems  to  have  been  remarkable  for  the 
length  of  their  years,  and  they  were  worthy  and  useful  citizens  in  every 
community  in  which  they  lived. 

George  Crow  was  born  in  Burlington  county.  New  Jersey,  May 
II,  1821,  and  when  a  boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen  was  brought  to  Ran- 
dolph county,  Indiana.  In  1844  he  joined  a  company  who  were  going 
to  Andrew  county,  ^Missouri,  he  driving  the  wagon  of  a  widow  woman 
for  his  passage.  One  of  the  reasons  for  this  move  was  that  the  young 
lady  whom  he  afterward  married  and  who  is  now  his  honered  companion 
of  old  age,  came  at  the  same  time  with  her  parents,  and  young  Crow 
at  the  ardent  age  of  twenty-four  could  not  believe  otherwise  than  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  go  also.  In  the  same  year,  however,  he  left  Missouri 
and  went  to  Nebraska.  The  Presbyterian  mission  among  the  Pawnee 
Indians  just  at  this  time  wanted  a  farmer,  and  Mr.  Crow  went  there 
for  that  purpose,  spending  one  year  there  before  his  marriage,  after 
which  he  went  back  and  conducted  the  mission  farm  until  August,  when 
the  Indians  became  hostile  and  dro\-e  the  settlers  down  the  Missouri. 
This  makes  Air.  Crow's  residence  in  the  state  antedate  that  of  any  other 


3o8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

living  wliite  man,  and  he  is  also  the  oldest  actual  settler  of  this  part  of 
the  state. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr.  Crow  \Yas  one  of  the  great  expedition  of 
argonauts  from  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  who  went  across  the  plains 
with  oxen  and  horses  to  California,  being  from  May  to  September  on 
the  journey.  He  was  fairly  successful  during  nearly  three  years  that  he 
spent  there,  although  he  would  have  done  just  as  well  at  home,  and  he 
returned  to  Andrew  county  on  December  30,  1852;  most  of  his  mining 
experiences  having  been  in  the  placers.  In  October,  1856,  he  moved 
from  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  to  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  and 
has  been  a  permanent  resident  ever  since.  He  and  his  good  wife  have 
made  all  they  have  through  the  hard  work  of  their  hands  and  shrewd 
management  and  business  ability.  He  has  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  since  coming  here,  and  fifteen  acres  of  broken  land  was  the 
only  impro\-enient  on  the  two  hundred  and  forty  which  he  made  so 
profitable  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  is  now  living  retired 
on  his  eighty-seven  acre  farm  in  London  precinct,  Brownville  post- 
office. 

Mr.  Crow  married,  February  14,  1846,  Miss  Mary  Ware,  who 
was  born  in  Burlington  county,  New  Jersey,  December  4,  1823,  two 
and  a  half  years  later  than  her  husband,  and  they  first  knew  each  other 
when  she  was  seventeen  years  old.  Her  parents,  Joseph  and  Lydia 
(Clutch)  ^Vare,  were  of  New  Jersey,  whence  they  were  pioneers  to 
Clermont  county,  Ohio,  about  1828.  Seven  years  later  they  went  to 
Indiana,  and  thence  in  1843  or  1844  to  Andrew  county,  Missouri.  Mrs. 
Crow  was  the  third  of  twelve  children.  Her  father  was  born  June 
14,  1797,  and  died  in  1879,  and  her  mother  was  born  ]\Iay  25,  1800, 
and  died  September  2j,   1887.     ]Mrs.  Crow  has  four  brothers  and  two 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  309 

sisters  living,  and  slie  is  the  eldest.  Her  brother  James  Story  Ware 
died  of  disease  in  the  army  during  the  Civil  war. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crow  have  been  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Lydia  Ellen,  wife  of  Amos  Mclninch,  of  St.  Joseph,  IMissouri ;  Charles 
Elliott,  who  died  when  five  years  old;  George  Ranney,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  months;  Anna,  wife  of  John  Felton,  in  Auburn;  William 
Allen,  of  Oklahoma,  who  has  had  one  son  by  each  of  two  wives ;  Susan  O., 
wife  of  John  \\'.  Ritchey,  a  merchant  of  Brownville,  and  has  two  sons: 
Ida  M.,  wife  of  David  Kite,  a  farmer  near  Howe,  and  has  one  son 
and  two  daughters;  Mary  Emma  died  in  infancy;  Walter  P.  is  in 
Colorado,  and  has  two  daughters  and  one  son ;  Charlotte  L.  died  at  the 
age  of  seven  months. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crow  are  among  the  octogenarians  who  have  had 
the  honor  of  celebrating  their  golden  wedding.  He  is  a  Master  Mason, 
for  over  fifty  years  a  Mason.  He  was  formerly  a  Democrat.  He  was 
sent  as  a  representative  to  the  territorial  legislature  for  about  five 
terms,  and  he  introduced  the  measure  for  removing  the  capitol  to  Lin- 
coln. ^^'hiIe  serving  in  this  body  he  practically  gave  his  time  and  serv- 
ice to  the  territory,  for  the  remuneration  was  so  small  that  it  would 
not  hire  a  man  to  take  his  place  on  his  stock  farm.  He  served  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  a  time,  and  the  only  couple  who  came  before 
him  seeking  matrimonial  bonds  he  tied  free  of  charge. 


MRS.  ANN  MAXWELL. 

Mrs.  Ann  Maxwell  is  well  known  to  the  residents  of  Nemaha 
county,  and  is  the  widow  of  John  Maxwell,  who  was  born  in  Lanark- 
shire, Scotland,  June  22,   1823.     On  the  ist  of  January,    1847,  in  the 


3IO  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

land  of  his  birth,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ann  Wardrop,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Agnes  (Donald)  Wardrop,  both  of  whom 
died  in  the  prime  of  life,,  leaving  three  of  their  five  children,  namely : 
Daniel,  who  died  when  about  fourteen  years  old;  Ann;  and  Margaret, 
who  resides  in  Glasgow  and  is  the  wife  of  a  railroad  engineer.  Mrs. 
^Maxwell  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  her  mother  died,  and  two  years 
later  her  father  was  called  away  by  death,  leaving  these  two  children 
with  but  a  small  estate  left  by  their  grandfather  Waldrop.  By  her 
marriage  Mrs.  Maxwell  has  become  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  as 
follows:  John,  who  was  born  in  Scotland,  January  2y.  1848,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  in  Sheridan  county,  Kansas;  Daniel,  who  resides 
on  one  of  his  mother's  farms;  William,  a  farmer  near  the  old  home 
place;  Agnes,  the  wife  of  Frank  Hacker,  a  farmer  of  this  township; 
Nettie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  \\'alter,  a  mail  carrier  in 
Xemaha  city:  Alexander,  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Oklahoma; 
INIargaret,  who  died  when  but  two  years  old;  Charles,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years;  Frank,  deceased  at  the  age  of  three  months;  and 
Edward,  whose  history  will  be  found  below. 

In  1852  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell  bade  adieu  to  the  home  and  friends 
of  their  childhood,  and  came  by  sailing  vessel  to  America,  spending 
seven  weeks  and  four  days  on  the  voyage  from  Glasgow  to  New  York. 
After  residing  one  year  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  where  Mr.  Maxwell 
followed  his  trade  of  shoemaking,  they  removed  to  Whiteside  county, 
Illinois,  there  securing  forty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  farmed  during 
the  summer  months,  while  in  the  ^^■inter  he  worked  at  his  trade.  Fifteen 
>-ears  were  spent  in  the  Prairie  state,  and  in.  1867  this  worthy  couple 
made  their  way  to  Nebraska  with  their  eight  children,  two  of  whom 
were  babes,  and  here  for  a  time  they  farmed  on  rented  land.  For  thirty- 
three  years  they  had  charge  of  the  county  almshouse,  and  in  this  official 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  311 

position  they  proved  themselves  honest  and  trustworthy.  In  his  fra- 
ternal relations  Mr.  Maxwell  was  a  member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  was  an  unswerving  Republican  in  political  matters. 

There  are  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  home  place,  another 
farm  has  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres, — in  all  three  hundred  and 
thirty  acres ;  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  are  in  Kansas.  He  came  here 
without  anything  and  was  a  self-made  man. 

Edward  J.  Maxwell,  a  son  of  these  worthy  Scotch  parents,  was 
born  in  this  county  on  the  Jd  of  August,  1872.  He  was  reared  as  a 
farmer  lad  and  in  his  youth  attended  the  district  schools  and  the  com- 
mercial college  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  graduating  in  that  institution 
in  1 89 1.  Since  his  father's  death  he  has  been  his  mother's  constant 
support,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  belonging  to  the  estate.  On  Christmas  day  of  1897  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lizzie  Leibhart,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
in  1876,  a  daughter  of  W.  \\'.  and  ]\Iary  Leibhart,  both  of  whom  are 
living  in  Nemaha,  to  which  place  they  removed  from  Illinois  in  1883. 
They  became  the  parents  of  six  daughters  and  two  sons,  but  one  son 
is  now  deceased,  and  the  two  married  sisters  of  Mrs.  Maxwell  are  Clara, 
the  wife  of  W.  E.  Patterson,  of  Gretna,  Nebraska;  and  Rose,  the  wife 
of  Frank  Titus.  One  little  daughter,  Maxine,  has  been  born  to  brighten 
and  bless  the  home  of  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Maxwell,  her  birth  occurring 
on  the  26th  of  August,  1903.  Mr.  Maxwell  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republi- 
can principles.  During  the  heated  campaign  of  1903  he  was  the  suc- 
cessful candidate  for  the  office  of  assessor,  which  he  is  now  filling  with 
honor  and  credit.     INIrs.  Alaxwell  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


312  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

MRS.  MARY  E.  CLARK. 

Mrs.  ]Mary  E.  Clark,  residing  on  the  farm  of  her  late  husband 
in  London  precinct,  Nemaha  City  postoffice,  is  one  of  the  oldest  living 
settlers  of  Nemaha  county  and  southeastern  Nebraska.  Few,  indeed, 
are  they  Avho  can  lioast  of  a  half  century  of  residence  in  this  state, 
dating  from  a  time  even  before  the  organization  of  this  section  of  the 
country  as  a  territory.  Mrs.  Clark  spent  nearly  all  the  days  of  her 
long  and  happy  married  life  in  this  state,  during  which  time  she  wit- 
nessed its  organization  under  "squatter  sovereignty,"  the  troublous 
days  preceding  and  during  the  Civil  war,  and  the  magnificent  in- 
dustrial and  agricultural  development  which  has  taken  place  since. 
She  is  a  true  pioneer,  a  woman  of  noble  attributes  and  Christian  charac- 
ter, and  deeply  esteemed  and  revered  within  her  own  circle  of  relatives 
and  in  the  community  which  her  long  and  blameless  life  has  adorned. 

JMrs.  Clark  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  August  4, 
1832,  a  daughter  of  Smallwood  V.  and  Sally  (Profit)  Noland,  who 
were  both  of  Kentucky  and  were  married  in  Chariton  county,  Mis- 
souri. They  owned  slaves  before  the  war,  and  were  respected  farmers 
of  Jackson  countv.  ]\Ir.  Noland  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  in  the 
state  legislature.  He  died  in  Holt  county.  INIissouri,  leaving  his  widow 
with  all  their  children.  She  was  born  in  1804,  and  had  married  at 
the  age  of  sixteen.  They  were  parents  of  ten  children:  William  Rhodes 
Noland  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  Oregon,  a  single  man;  Cordelia 
]McE\\'an,  who  married  young,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
leaving  four  children;  Pleasant  C,  who  lived  in  Oregon,  died  in  1904, 
and  had  a  wife  and  two  children;  Mrs.  Clark  is  fourth  in  order  of  birth; 
Ledston  died  in  the  iNIe.xican  war;  Benton  Boggs  died  out  west,  un- 
married; John  M.  died  in  Oregon,  unmarried;  Adelia  Stephens  died, 
leaving  four  children;  Gabriel  Fitzhugh  is  in  Oregon,   and  is   single; 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  313 

Martin  Win  Buren  went  to  Mexico  with  considerable  money,  and  has 
not  been  heard  of  for  tliirty  }-ears.  All  the  sons  who  went  to  Oregon 
made  money. 

Mrs.  Clark  is  well  reared  by  her  grandparents,  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  in  185 1,  married  John  C.  Clark,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  in  1826,  and  was  by  trade  a  brickmason,  having  built  the 
present  residence  of  Mrs.  Clark  forty-nine  years  ago.  They  came  to 
Brownville,  Nebraska,  in  1854,  and  later  traded  their  good  home  in 
that  town  for  a  squatter's  right  to  their  present  place.  Mr.  Clark  was 
an  honest  and  industrious  man  throughout  his  life,  and  his  career  of 
successful  effort  was  not  closed  until  his  seventy-sixth  year,  on  May  29, 
1901,  after  he  and  his  wife  had  lived  together  for  fifty  years.  He 
was  a  member  and  a  deacon  in  the  Christian  church  in  Brownville, 
he  and  his  wife  having  been  charter  members  when  it  was  organized  in 
the  early  fifties.  He  and  his  brotiier  Henry  took  care  of  their  widowed 
mother  till  her  death,  which  occurred  on  an  adjoining  farm,  when  she 
had  reached  the  great  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  were  parents  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  on  the  home  farm  but  one.  Sally  is  now  Mrs.  B.  F.  Jones; 
William  Smallwood  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen ;  Dora  E.  died  wdien 
three  months  old;  Florence  is  the  wife  of  Elder  M.  M.  Good,  a  Chris- 
tian minister  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri ;  Kate  is  the  wife  of  Sam  Barnes, 
in  Smith  county,  Kansas,  and  has  nine  children:  O.  L.  is  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  in  Company  F,  Seventh  United  States  Infantry,  in  the 
Philippines;  Edith  M.  is  a  teacher  and  is  the  wife  of  D.  C.  Shell,  a 
school  principal,  and  they  have  one  daughter;  D.  H.  Clark  runs  the 
home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  is  taking  care  of  his 
mother;  Thomas  A.  is  a  telegraph  operator  on  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road in  Nebraska,  and  is  married. 


314  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

JOHN  B.  LEWIS. 

On  the  roster  of  Nemaha  county's  officials  appears  the  name  of 
John  B.  Lewis  in  connection  witli  the  office  of  mayor,  which  is  an  in- 
dication of  his  popularity  and  prominence,  and  he  is  also  serving  as 
the  station  and  ticket  agent  for  the  Burlington  Railroad  at  Brown- 
\]]]e.  He  was  horn  in  Atchison  county,  ^lissouri.  February  22,  1869, 
and  his  education  was  received  in  the  schools  of  Brownville,  Nebraska. 
On  the  30th  of  April,  1891,  at  Vesta,  this  state,  he  began  his  railroad 
career  as  a  station  agent,  and  there  he  also  learned  the  art  of  telegraphy. 
At  Vesta,  on  the  14th  of  September,  1892,  Mr.  Lewis  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  Hardenberg.  who  was  liorn  in  Peoria  county, 
Illinois,  August  29,  1874,  a  daughter  of  H.  D.  and  Anna  (Coe) 
Hardenberg,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York.  After  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Hardenberg  located  in  Vesta,  Nebraska,  where  they 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  and  in  1900  located  in  Osceola.  Iowa, 
where  they  now  reside.  They  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
three  daughters  and  a  son,  namely:  INIrs.  Lewis;  Edna,  who  is  em- 
ployed as  a  saleswoman:  Alora,  a  stenographer  in  Dexter,  Iowa:  and 
Newton,  the  proprietor  of  a  barber  shop  in  Osceola.  Three  children 
have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis, — Nevada.  Vesta  and 
A'idla,  aged,  respectively,  ten,  eight  and  four  years.  The  family  reside 
in  a  pleasant,  two-story  brick  residence  in  Brownville,  which  has  been 
their  home  since  the  spring  of  1902,  but  they  have  resided  in  this  city 
since  December,  1893,  at  which  time  Mr.  Lewis  was  transferred  from 
Vesta. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  Master  }vIason  and  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  His  political  support  is  given  to 
the  Republican  party,  and  as  its  representative  he  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  the  mavor  of  Brownxllle,  while  for  eight  vears  he  was 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  315 

a  member  of  the  city  council  and  for  two  terms  president  of  the  school 
board.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  well  informed  man,  and  enjoys  the  high  regard 
of  railroad  officials,  patrons  and  the  citizens  of  Nemaha  county. 


ROBERT  V.  MUIR. 

Robert  V.  ^luir  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers,  both  in  point  of 
his  own  age  and  in  length  of  residence,  of  which  southeastern  Nebraska 
can  boast.  If  he  survives  a  very  few  years  longer  so  as  to  be  an  octo- 
genarian, he  will  at  the  same  time  have  completed  a  half  century  cycle 
of  sojourn  in  this  state.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  growth  and 
progress  of  this  section  of  the  state  almost  from  the  days  when  Ne- 
braska territory  was  organized  under  the  famous  "squatter  sovereignty" 
of  Senator  Douglas,  and  he  is  honored  and  respected  by  all  for  the 
worthy  part  he  has  taken  in  affairs  of  citizenship  and  private  life. 
He  and  his  estimable  wife,  the  long-time  companion  of  his  w^orld 
journey,  also  claim  distinctive  recognition  in  this  work  because  of  their 
lo'ig  and  famous  famih-  relationships  and  ancestral  pedigrees,  wdiich 
are  cursorily  mentioned  in  the  followed  paragraphs,  but  are  of  such 
interest  to  the  genealogist  that  material  for  a  \-olume  might  be  compiled 
£onccniing  the  personal  and  family  history. 

Mr.  IMuir  was  born  in  Lanarkshire,  Scotland,  October  22,  1826. 
His  father.  William  Wuir,  was  born  in  the  same  place,  about  1769, 
and  died  in  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania,  in  1853.  He  was  one  of  three 
sons  of  a  Scottish  farmer,  and  one  of  these  sons,  Robert,  was  a 
prominent  jeweler  in  Edinburg.  The  family  possessed  a  coat  of  arms, 
iian.led  down  from  an  antique  generation.  The  device,  an  engraving 
of  a  ]Moor's  head  and  the  inscription  Diiris  Non  Frangor,  is  to  be  seen 


3i6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

on  the  heavy,  hand-beaten  sih-er  spoons  in  the  possession  of  Robert  V. 
Mnir,  altliough  the  engraving  is  dim  with  the  passage  of  years  and 
constant  nse. 

Mr.  Muir  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  in  1835, 
settHng  with  them  in  Greene  county,  New  York,  whence  fifteen  years 
later  he  went  to  Carbondale,  Pennyh-ania.  In  1856  he  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  Nebraska  Settlement  Company,  and  in  that  capacity 
came  to  Table  Rock,  Nebraska,  where,  in  company  with  Luther  Hoad- 
ley,  he  built  a  sawmill.  In  1857  the  company  built  a  sawmill  at  North 
Star,  Missouri,  opposite  Brownville,  Nebraska,  and  on  the  dissolution 
of  the  firm  in  the  following  year  this  mill  became  the  property  of  Mr. 
INIuir.  He  managed  this  mill  and  at  the  same  time  did  an  extensive 
real  estate  business.  From  1867  until  1874  he  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  North  Star,  and  from  the  latter  date  until  his  practical  re- 
tirement in  1881  -he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  the  flour  busi- 
ness in  High  Creek  Mills,  Missouri,  which  he  had  already  begun  in 
1863.  He  built  his  large  and  substantial  residence  in  Brownville  in 
1870,  and  this  is  still  accounted  one  of  the  best  homes  in  the  town. 
Its  interior  furnishings  are  of  butternut,  birdseye  ■  maple  and  black 
walnut,  all  of  which  were  cut  in  his  mill,  and  it  is  a  home  of  taste  and 
refined  appearance  as  well  as  comfort.  Mr.  Muir  began  this  success- 
ful career  humbly  enough.  He  was  educated  in  the  Wyoming  Semi- 
nary in  Pennsylvania,  and  taught  his  way  through  school,  and  in  this 
way  got  his  start.  He  also  got  his  wife  in  this  same  school,  for  Esther 
Davidson  was  his  fellow  student,  and  for  several  years  before  they 
were  married  he  taught  in  a  district  adjoining  her  home.  Mr.  Muir 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  an  interested  worker  for  re- 
ligious principles  and  the  cause  of  prohibition.  In  politics  he  was 
originally  a  Whig,  later  a  Republican,  and  now  a  Prohibitionist.     In 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  317 

1898  he  was  candidate  for  g-o\-ernor  of  Nebraska  on  the  prohibition 
ticket  and  in  1903  was  a  candidate  for  regent  of  the  State  University. 

Mr.  and  Airs.  Mnir  ha^'e  three  children :  Downie  Davidson,  born 
in  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania,  November  12,  1853,  is  engaged  in  min- 
ing enterprises  in  New  York  city,  and  1)y  his  marriage  to  Armista 
Wilson,  of  Mineral  Point,  lias  one  son,  Downie  Davidson;  Frank 
Davidson  AInir,  l:)orn  in  Carbondale,  August  2,  1856,  has  been  a  bank 
inspector,  and  lives  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  where  he  married  Aliss 
Mary  Barber;  and  Robert  Davidson  Muir,  born  in  North  Star,  Mis- 
souri, September  19,  18(16,  is  cashier  of  the  national  bank  in  Port 
Jervis,  New  York,  ami  by  his  wife,  Lillie  Estella  Hathaway,  of 
Lincoln,   Nebraska,  has   two  daughters. 

Mrs.  Robert  Y.  Aluir  is  of  one  of  the  oldest  Scottish  families, 
going  back  to  the  time  when  clan  fought  clan  in  terrible  struggle.  It 
is  said  that  the  descendants  of  the  great  Robert  Bruce  and  the  Da\id- 
sons  intermarried.  The  Davison  (or  Davidson  or  Davisson,  as 
variously  spelled)  coat  of  arms  bore  this  motto:  Vigct  ct  Ciiicre  Virtus, 
— Virtue  lives  e\en  in  death.  This  was  selected  after  the  battle  of  the 
Inches  or  North  Inch  of  Perth,  fought  by  thirty  picked  men  of  the 
Davisons  against  a  like  number  of  the  McPhersons  with  broadswords 
only,  with  King  Robert  III  as  umpire,  A.  D.,  1396,  in  which  battle 
nearly  all  on  both  sides  were  killed,  one  man  of  the  Da\-isons  surviv- 
ing, and  he  was  saved  by  swimming  the  river  Tay  and  remaining  under 
water.  Since  those  dark  medieval  days  many  a  Davison  has  been 
prominent,  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  one  branch  of  the  family 
has  been  established  in  this  country  almost  since  the  beginnings  of 
American  civilization. 

Esther  Davidson  was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  in  1827, 
a    daughter   of    Robert   and    Helen    (Kelly)    Davidson,    the    former   a 


3i8  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

native  of  Kelso,  Scotland,  and  the  latter  of  Saratoga,  New  York. 
Robert  Davidson  was  a  machinist  and  builder  of  cotton  mills,  and 
built  spinning  Jennys  in  South  Carolina.  He  came  to  America  in  1812, 
and  on  the  voyage  was  robbed  by  the  crew  of  an  American  privateer 
of  all  his  good  clothes  and  tools  and  all  his  money  except  what  was 
sewed  in  his  clothes.  He  married  in  Saratoga,  New  York,  and  they 
reared  three  of  their  five  children :  ]m\q,  the  wife  of  John  Stuart, 
of  Scotland,  died  in  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania,  the  mother  of  four 
children,  three  surviving  her;  Mrs.  Muir  is  the  second;  and  Peter 
Davidson,  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  retired  farmer,  and  has 
six  children  li^•ing  and  has  lost  two. 

In  1902  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muir  spent  several  months  in  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania.  They  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary 
at  the  Cafe  ]\Iartin  in  New  York  city,  and  the  public  press  had  this  to 
say  of  them :  "Back  in  Scranton  after  fifty  years'  absence,  the  prominent 
Nebraskan  and  his  wife.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  V.  ]\Iuir,  returned  to  the 
home  of  their  youth.  They  were  guests  of  Peter  Davidson  and  family, 
of  Green  Ridge,  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  spent  three 
months  visiting  friends  and  relatives  in  Warren,  Pennsylvania,  Port 
Jervis,  New  York.  New  York  city,  and  Prattsville,  New  York,  and 
will  soon  return  to  their  western  home.  They  celebrated  their  golden 
anniversary  with  a  sumptuous  dinner  at  Cafe  Martin  September  22, 
1902.  Seated  at  the  tables  were  the  bride  and  groom  of  fiftv  years  ago, 
D.  D.  Muir  and  his  wife,  Amasta  ^^'ilson  and  their  son,  F.  D.  Muir 
and  his  wife,  ^lary  Barber,  of  New  York  city,  R.  D.  Muir  and  his  wife, 
Li  Hie  Hathaway,  and  Anna,  Mary  and  Esther  Davidson.  They  were 
married  by  the  Rev.  Reuben  Nelson,  the  principal  of  Wyoming  Semi- 
nary at  Kingston,  Pennsylvania,  Avho  met  the  bridal  party  at  the 
W'ydming  Hotel   in  Scranton.     The  part}'  were  Esther  Davidson  and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  319 

Roliert  V.  Muir,  tlie  bride  and  groom,  Peter  Davidson,  best  man,  and 
Mary  Shannon,  bridesmaid ;  also  Jane  Davidson  and  John  Stnart,  of 
Carbondale,  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Reuben  Nelson.  Death  in  all  these 
years  has  not  invaded  the  family  circle,  but  Peter  Davidson  is  the  only 
surviving  wedding  guest.  Mr.  Muir  was  conversant  with  Scranton 
when  it  was  Slocum's  Hollow.  He  assisted  in  building  the  enigne 
houses  on  the  ^^'ashington  gravity  railroad,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Hudson  and  Delaware  Canal  Company  until  he  moved  to  Brownville, 
Nebraska." 

The  following  obituary  notice  gives  additional  facts  relating  to 
the  subject  matter  of  this  history:  "Died  at  Table  Rock.  Nebraska, 
August  22,  1873,  relict  of  the  late  William  ]\[nir,  and  daughter  of 
Daniel  Brown,  of  Lanark.  Scotland,  in  tlie  eighty-ninth  year  of  her  age. 
She  was  born  in  Lanark,  Scotland,  a  descendant  of  the  Browns,  a 
name  known  to  church  history.  Sh.e  was  acquainted  with  her  grand- 
father, who  was  born  in  1694.  She  distinctly  remembered  the  close  of 
the  French  revolution,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  first  and  second  Na- 
poleon dynasties,  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  other  events 
down  to  the  late  Civil  war  in  the  United  States.  At  ah  early  age  she 
united  with  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  church.  She  was  not  demonstra- 
ti\'e,  but  witnessed  her  faith  by  her  works,  at  the  bedside  of  tlie  sick 
and  dying  and  in  comforting  the  sorrowing:  she  had  her  own  troubles 
and  sorrows,  and  knew  how  to  sympathize.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  she 
was  bereft  of  her  parents  within  a  few  days  of  each  other.  She  lost 
three  of  her  lovely  children  within  six  weeks,  aged  two,  four  and  six 
years;  later  was  sorely  bereft  by  the  death  of  her  youngest  daughter  at 
the  age  of  nineteen :  and  fi\e  years  later  she  was  a  widow.  She  was  the 
last  of  her  generation,  and  the  dust  of  her  kindred  is  in  Scotland,  Italy, 
\\'est   Lidies,   New   York,   and    Pennsylvania.      A   sojourner   of  nearly 


320  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

four  score  and  ten  years,  she  died  in  a  strange  land,  but  comforted  bv 
the  presence  of  her  eldest  daughter.  She  sleeps  that  last  long  and 
dreamless  sleep  in  ^^'alnut  Grove  cemetery  in   Brownville." 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  JONES. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Jones,  one  of  the  well  known  farmers  of 
London  precinct,  Nemaha  county,  having  a  nice  farm  on  section  23, 
with  postoffice  at  Brownville,  has  lived  in  this  county  for  nearly  forty 
years,  since  he  was  a  boy  of  nineteen.  He  has  enjoyed  a  successful 
career  in  his  chosen  pursuit,  and  as  a  good  citizen  and  the  father  of  a 
family  who  are  among  the  popular  and  useful  younger  members  of 
society,  his  record  is  one  that  can  be  scanned  with  closest  scrutiny. 

Mr.  Jones  was  born  in  New  Hano\-er  county,  North  Carolina. 
June  10,  1846.  on  the  same  plantation  on  which  his  father,  David 
Jones,  was  born,  October  3,  1807.  The  latter  was  married  in  North 
Carolina  in  1833  to  Miss  INIargaret  Ann  K'eith,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  county  in  North  Carolina,  March  12,  1818.  They  brought  their 
movables  and  two  female  sJaves  to  Missouri  in  1849,  and  settled  in 
Buchanan  county,  nine  miles  south  of  St.  Joseph,  they  being  witnesses 
to  some  of  the  first  building  operations  in  that  city.  He  had  eighty 
acres  of  land,  which  he  cleared  of  the  heavy  timber  and  farmed  from 
1849  ""til  1865.  In  ]\Iarch,  of  the  latter  year,  he  sold  out  and  came 
to  Nemaha  county.  Nebraska,  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
which  adjoins  the  farm  of  Mr.  B.  F.  Jones  on  the  south.  They  were 
parents  of  fourteen  children.  Annie  died  in  infancy;  William  J.  is 
a  farmer  in  Oklahoma,  and  has  three  sons  and  three  daughters  and  has 
lost  t\\i>  daughters;  Susan  L.  is  the  widow  of  B.  F.  Rice,  in  Oklahoma 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  321 

City,  and  has  four  daugliters  and  two  sons  li\ing:  Mary  P.  is  the  wife 
of  Henry  W.  Highsmitli  in  Oklahoma  City,  and  lias  one  son ;  David 
died  wlien  seven  }-ears  old;  Annie  is  the  wife  of  John  J.  Whittington 
in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Amanda 
H.  is  the  wife  of  W.  T.  Moore,  in  Seattle,  Washington,  and  has  four 
sons  and  two  daughters  living;  B.  F.  is  the  next  child;  T.  L.  is  an 
extensi\e  merchant  and  live-stock  dealer  in  Hendley,  Nehraska,  and 
has  five  daughters;  Charles  M.  was,  at  last  accounts,  at  Joplin,  Mis- 
souri, and  has  a  wife,  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Eveline,  in  Seneca, 
Kansas,  is  the  widow  of  B.  F.  Coons,  and  has  two  sons;  John  Leoni- 
das  Keith  is  unmarried  and  with  his  hrother  T.  L. ;  Milton  F.  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  leaving  a  wife  and  one 
son;  and  Addie  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  A.  Bath,  at  Auburn,  and  has 
three  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
here  on  the  old  home,  July  22,  1874,  aged  fifty-six,  and  the  father  died 
July  18,  1879.  ^g^'^  seventy-two.  They  were  both  Baptists,  and  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Missouri  from  1849  to 
i860.  They  had  lioth  recei\ed  small  inheritances,  and  they  in  turn 
helped   their  children   get  a   start    in   life. 

Benjamin  F.  Jones  \\as  reared  on  a  farm,  and  had  his  schooling  in 
the  district  school,  although  most  of  his  learning  was  acquired  at  home. 
The  little  brick  school  house,  known  as  Happy  Hollow,  and  standing 
only  a  few  rods  from  his  present  place,  has  been  the  scene  of  his,  his 
wife's,  his  children's  and  his  grandchildren's  schooldays,  and  it  is  a 
place  of  affectionate  memory  and  happy  reminiscence.  Mr.  Jones  has 
consistently  followed  farming  throughout  his  career,  and  his  home 
place  consists  of  ninety  well  cultivated  and  well  improved  acres,  and 
he  also  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Sheridan  county,  Kansas. 


322         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

He   raises  corn   and   wheat   crops   principally,   and   is  also  connected   to 
some  extent   with   cattle-raising   and   threshing   machines. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  November  5,  1872,  to  ]\Iiss  Sarah  E.  Clark, 
w-ho  was  born  in  Holt  county,  Missouri,  in  1854.  a  daughter  of  John 
C.  and  Mary  E.  (Xoland)  Clark.  The  latter  is  the  oldest  living  set- 
tler in  Nemaha  county,  and  in  the  history  of  her  life  will  be  found  fur- 
ther details  of  interest  to  the  present  sketch.  The  nine  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  I\Irs.  Jones  are  all  living :  Da\-id  is  a  farmer,  within  sight 
of  his  father's  place,  and  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter;  Florence  gradu- 
ated from  the  State  Normal,  taught  several  years,  and  is  now  a  sales- 
ladv  with  Thompson  and  Perry:  IMiss  Myrtle,  \Aho  was  also  educated 
in  *he  State  Normal  at  Peru,  has  been  a  teacher  for  four  years  in  Au- 
burn; Mary,  educated  in  Peru,  is  a  teacher  three  miles  west  of  Peru; 
y\ddie  is  a  student  in  Auburn,  as  is  also  her  sister  Dora ;  B.  F.  Jones, 
Jr.,  is  a  boy  of  eleven  and  attending  the  Happy  Hollow  school;  Mar- 
shall Clark  is  aged  nine,  and  the  youngest,  Victor,  is  seven  years  old. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  may  well  be  proud  of  this  bright  and  intelligent 
family,  and  rejoice  in  the  fact  that  the  circle  is  still  unbroken  by  the 
hand  of  death.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  a  Democrat,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


CHARI^ES  MERRITT  WELTON. 

Charles  Merritt  Welton,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  fine,  productive 
farm  just  east  of  the  town  of  Johnson,  Nemaha  county,  is  a  resident 
of  twenty-five  years'  standing  in  this  part  of  the  state,  having  come 
here  in  1878  from  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  born  Decem- 
ber 26,   1855. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  323 

His  grandfather,  Noah  Welton,  was  a  Connecticut  farmer,  born 
at  Watcrlairy,  and  one  of  tlie  streets  of  that  city  is  named  \\'elton  in 
honor  of  the  family,  some  of  whose  members  were  participants  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2  and  tlie  Mexican  war.  Noah  Welton  was  twice  married, 
and  reared  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  He  lived  to  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years. 

Bela  .\dolphus  \\>lton,  the  father  of  ]\Ir.  \\'elton,  was  born  in 
Connecticut.  December  2y.  1823,  and  died  in  Nemaha.  Nebraska,  in 
1882.  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine.  He  married  r^liss  Abigail  T^Ierritt,  who 
was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  in  1832.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Merritt,  was  a  farmer,  and  in  1844  removed  from  Cattaraugus 
county  to  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  he  had  only  money  enough 
to  pay  for  forty  acres  of  land,  but  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
fifteen  hundred  acres  in  that  rich  agricultural  section  of  the  state. 
Adolphus  ^\'elton  was  married  to  Miss  Merritt  in  Bureau  county.  Jan- 
uary 4,  1855,  and  they  had  four  children:  Charles  ]\I. :  Albert  J.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  Ellen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ; 
and  Frank,  who  died  when  nine  years  old.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  in  1878,  and  their  father  was  then  married  to  Felicia  Ann 
Holmes,  ncc  Frisby,  of  Connecticut,  who  is  still  living  near  Bracken, 
Nemaha  county,  bright  and  cheerful  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  She 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  1856,  and  was  married  here. 

I\Tr.  \\'elton  had  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Henry. 
Illinois,  near  which  place  his  father  owned  a  auarter  section  of  land 
for  which  he  paid  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  In  the  fall  of  1869 
his  parents  moved  from  Mar.shall  county,  Illinois,  to  Berrien  county, 
Michigan,  and  bought  a  peach  farm  near  St.  Joseph,  but  three  years 
later  they  sold  and  went  to  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  farm 
which   grandfather   Merritt   gave   them.      Three   years    later   they   sold 


324  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

this  place  also  and  moved  to  Henry,  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Welton's 
mother  died. 

In  I\Iarch,  1878,  Mr.  Welton  came  to  Johnson,  Nebraska,  and 
bought  the  quarter  section  of  land  a  mile  and  a  quarter  north  of  the 
town  which  his  father  a  few  years  previously  had  purchased  from  the 
government.  On  this  land  he  built  a  one-story  frame  building,  and  he 
has  since  moved  this  structure  to  his  present  home  and  now  uses  it  as 
an  implement  buikyng.  Besides  the  original  quarter  section  he  owns 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  his  present  homestead,  and  on  the 
latter  he  has  placed  nearly  all  the  improvements  except  an  old  frame 
house  and  a  few  cottonwood  and  fruit  trees.  He  does  general  farming, 
growing  about  eighty  acres  of  corn  and  from  sixty  to  eighty  of  wheat, 
and  keeps  his  place  in  fine  shape  and  makes  it  yearly  more  profitable 
and  valuable.  His  nice  residence  was  erected  in  1900  and  he  moved 
into  it  on  the  loth  of  December  of  that  year.  It  is  a  full  two-story 
dwelling,  of  eight  rooms,  with  basement,  and  is  well  built  and  furnished 
throughout. 

Mr.  Welton  was  married  October  25,  1882,  to  Miss  Amanda  Jane 
Barnes,  who  was  born  at  West  Point,  Lee  county,  Iowa.  November  17, 
1853,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Harger  Barnes,  whose  further 
personal  history  is  detailed  in  the  biography  of  Casner  Barnes,  to  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Four  children  were  born  to  'Sir. 
and  Mrs.  Welton :  A  daughter  that  died  in  infancy ;  Albert  Casner,  who 
died  when  nearly  two  years  old ;  Alice  I\Iay,  w'ho  was  born  April  6, 
1891,  and  is  a  bright  little  girl  in  school;  and  John  Barnes,  who  was 
born  January  24,  1894,  and  is  in  the  intermediate  department  of  the 
public  school  and  is  especially  bright  at  penmanship,  writing  as  neatly 
and  gracefully  as  a  girl  and  with  seemingly  natural  talent.  Mr.  Wel- 
ton is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  served  as  school  treasurer  for  two 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  325 

years.     He  and  his  wife  are  ^Methodists  and  he  is  a  trustee  and  treasurer 
of  tlie  church. 


JONAS  DRUERY. 

The  deserved  reward  of  a  well  spent  life  is  an  honored  retirement 
fnini  business  in  which  to  enjo}-  the  fruits  of  former  toil.  To-day. 
after  a  useful  and  beneficent  career.  Mr.  Druery.  is  quietly  living  at  his 
pleasant  home  in  Brownville,  surrounded  by  the  comforts  that  earnest 
labor  has  brought  to  him.  Since  1857  this  city  has  been  his  home, 
and  here  he  is  well  known  as  a  skilled  mechanic.  He  was  born  in  Lin- 
colnshire, England,  on  the  22(\  of  July,  1827,  and  is  of  the  fourth 
generation  to  bear  the  name  of  Jonas.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Jonas 
Druery,  was  a  freeholder  in  the  county  of  Lincoln,  and  belonged  to 
the  yeomanry.  Jonas  Druery,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  also  a 
native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  was  there  married  to  Ellen  Harris, 
they  becoming  the  parents  of  five  children.  The  eldest,  Robert,  died 
young.  Jane  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Slight,  and  died  in  Indiana 
when  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  lea\-ing  a  son  and  daughter.  Jonas 
is  the  third  child  in  order  of  birth,  and  the  subject  of  this  review. 
John  came  from  England  to  this  country  two  years  after  the  arrival 
of  his  brother  Jonas,  in  1856,  and  located  near  Dayton,  Ohio.  In  1866 
he  located  on  his  farm  in  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  where  his  death 
occurred.  Eveline  is  tlie  widow  of  Abe  Stoker  and  resides  in  Ohio.  She 
is  the  mother  of  one  son  and  seven  daughters.  The  father  of  this 
family  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  in  his  seventy-se\enth  year,  and 
the  mother's  death  occurred  here  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years,  she  lieing  ten  years  her  husljand's  senior.     Her  religious  views 


326  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

connected  her  with  the  IMethodist  church,  while  her  husband  at^Hated 
with  the  Baptist  denomination. 

Jonas  Druery  was  ol.)hged  to  discontinue  his  studies  in  the  district 
scliool  when  ele\-en  yea'rs  of  age,  and  tliereafter  worked  on  the  home- 
stead farm  until  his  thirteenth  year,  w  hile  for  the  following  five  years  he 
was  emjiloyed  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  during  all  of  which  time  he 
received  only  his  board  in  compensation  for  his  services.  On  the  lOth 
of  ^la}',  185].  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iiss  Eliza  W'oolsey,  who 
was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  on  the  23d  of  Xo\-emher,  1825,  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  i\Iary  ( Sawyer )  W'oolsey,  also  natives  of  that 
shire,  and  for  many  years  the  father  was  a  merchant  in  Gainsborough. 
These  parents  reared  seven  children,  the  eldest  being  John,  who  was  a 
satldler  by  occupation,  and  his  death  occurred  in  England,  lea\'ing  three 
sons  and  a  daughter.  Thomas,  who  \\as  a  ^lethodist  Episcopal  minis- 
ter, died  in  Toronto,  Canada,  where  he  was  an  early  missionary  among 
the  Indians.  He  was  a  scholarly  man  and  an  orator,  and  in  his  later 
life  was  superanuated  by  his  church.  At  his  death  he  left  two  daughters, 
one  of  whom  became  the  wife  of  a  Alethodist  minister.  Elizabeth 
became  the  wife  of  Walter  Hart  and  died  in  middle  life,  leaving  one 
son,  Walter  Hart.  Alary  became  the  wife  of  Daniel  Dowell  and  died 
in  Gainsborough,  England,  when  fifty  years  of  age,  leaving  four  child- 
ren. ]vlrs.  Druery  is  the  fifth  child  in  order  of  l:)irth.  Sarali  Ann,  who 
also  died  in  England,  was  the  wife  of  Charles  Hetchell.  a  watch-maker 
and  jeweler,  and  at  lier  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years,  she  left  three  daughters  and  a  son,  all  of  whom  were  musicians. 
The  youngest  child,  William,  is  a  watch-maker  and  a  wealthy  jeweler 
in  Lincoln,  England,  and  has  one  son.  The  father  of  these  children, 
Thomas  Woolsey,  was  called  from  this  earth  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
ve.irs.     His  father,  Thomas  Woolsev,   Sr.,   was  for  many  years  a  sea 


so  U  THE  A  S  TERN    NEBRA  SKA .  327 

captain,  and  his  wife  was  a  lady  of  talent  and  of  superior  education. 
Mrs.  W'oolsey,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Druery,  passed  away  about  1849, 
in  her  fiftieth  year. 

On  account  of  her  father's  failing  health  jNIrs.  Druery  was  taken 
from  boarding-  school  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
the  estate  was  sold,  but  later  repurchased  and  again  sold  at  a  large 
price.  In  1855  Mr.  Druery,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their  oldest 
son,  William  Henry,  sailed  from  Liverpool  to  the  United  States,  spend- 
ing six  weeks  on  the  ocean  voyage  and  landing  in  New  York  soon  after 
the  Fourth  of  July.  Two  other  sons  have  been  born  to  them,  namely : 
John  \\^oolsey,  of  Evans,  Colorado,  and  Jonas  H.,  a  farmer  of  Nemaha 
county,  and  the  father  of  one  little  daughter.  They  have  also  lost  sev- 
eral children. 

]\Ir.  Druery  has  long  been  numbered  among  the  leading  citizens  of 
Brownville,  where  he  owns  four  residences  and  five  ^•acant  lots,  and 
also  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  Glen  Rock.  In  his  fraternal 
relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  masonic  order,  in  which  he  has  reached 
the  blue  lodge  degree,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  is  a  Democrat. 
After  a  pilgrimage  of  nearly  eighty  years,  in  which  they  were  obliged  to 
surmount  many  obstacles  which  beset  their  path,  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Druery 
are  now  living  in  quiet  retirement  at  their  pleasant  home  in  Brown- 
ville, where  they  have  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 


328  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

VALENTINE  P.  PEABODY. 

\'alentine  P.  Peaborh',  a  leading"  farmer  and  fruit  grower  of  Aspin- 
wall  precinct,  Nemaha  postol'tice,  has  been  a  resident  of  Nemalia  county 
since  1869.  He  came  here  sliortly  after  an  arduous  term  of  service  in 
tlie  Civil  war,  and  began  on  the  bare  prairie  with  the  intention  of 
making  himself  a  living  and  a  home,  in  which  he  has  succeeded  in  an 
unusual  degree.  The  very  jjeauty  of  the  place  where  he  now  makes 
his  home  is  one  of  the  rewards  of  his  years  of  honest  toil  and  endeavor. 
He  has  been  prosperous  in  these  business  ventures,  and  also  as  a  man 
and  citizen.  He  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  in  various  capacities,  and 
he  has  gi\-en  his  influence  for  good  and  progress  in  every  public  matter 
which  he  has  undertaken. 

Air.  Peabody  was  born  in  Allegany  county.  New  York,  March  15, 
1842,  and  comes  of  an  old  eastern  family.  His  grandfather,  \\'illiam 
Peabody,  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer  in  northern  Connecticut  and 
western  New  York,  coming  as  a  pioneer  to  the  latter  place  in  1809. 
His  wife  was  Polly  Holmes,  also  of  Connecticut,  and  they  reared  all 
of  their  eleven  children,  se\en  daughters  and  four  sons,  all  of  whom 
were  married  and  all  but  one  daughter  had  children.  They  all  moved 
fnim  western  New  York  to  Michigan  during  the  late  forties  and  early 
fifties,  and  most  of  them  were  farmers  in  Mahoning-  county  near  Albion 
and  Coldwater,     All  of  them  are  now  deceased. 

Thomas  Peabody,  the  father  of  Valentine  P.  Peabody,  was  born  in 
Stonington,  Connecticut,  September  7,  1797,  and  died  in  \\'oodford 
county,  Illinois,  in  1884.  January  25,  1825,  he  married  Fidelia  Shat- 
tuck.  who  was  burn  in  Potter  county,  Pennsylvania,  February  12,  1809, 
a  daughter  of  William  Shattuck,  a  lumberman  and  farmer  in  Pennsyl- 
\'ania,  and  who  reared  se\eu  children.     The\'  were  married  at  Couders- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  329 

port,  and  then  settled  on  Oswego  creek,  t\vel\-e  miles  from  that  village, 
where  ]\Ir.  Peabody  was  a  farmer  and  lumlierman  nntil  1844;  lie  then 
sold  and  moved  to  Athens  county,  Ohio,  where  he  bought  and  sold  land 
after  taking  the  timber  off;  in  No\-eml)er,  1858,  he  moved  to  Wood- 
ford county,  Illinois,  where  he  li\'ed  retired  among  his  children,  who 
had  preceded  him  there,  until  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  reared  all 
their  eleven  children  :  Daniel  died  in  Potter  county,  Pennsvlvania,  in 
1869,  aged  forty-three,  lea\'ing-  four  children  living:  Janette  is  the  wife 
of  R.  S.  Burnham,  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  has  a  larg-e  family; 
\\"illiam  Nelson  is  a  wealthy  farmer  and  large  landowner,  and  has  a 
large  family;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  in  Illinois,  was 
the  wife  of  John  Wallace,  who  came  from  Scotland  at  the  age  of  ten, 
and  they  had  a  large  family;  Amelia,  wife  of  James  Richards,  who  died 
in  Kentucky,  his  nati\'e  state,  was  an  in\-alid  for  tw^enty  years  and  bed- 
ridden for  twelve,  and  she  died  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  February 
21,  1892,  leaving  two  children:  Laura,  widow  of  John  H.  Pilack,  at 
Unadilla,  Nebraska,  has  two  children  living;  the  seventh  child  was  Val- 
entine P. ;  Thomas  P.,  who  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  1862,  died  of 
pneumonia  at  Arkansas  Post  in  1863,  January  10 ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Lewis 
Fisher,  now  retired  in  San  Diego,  California,  has  a  large  family;  Lephia, 
wife  of  C.  W.  Harford,  a  carpenter  of  Randall,  K'ansas,  has  a  number 
of  daughters  living:  Alice  and  her  husliand,  ^^'illiam  West,  are  both 
deceased,  one  daughter  surviving  them.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  in  Washburn,  Illinois,  January  21,  1861,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one 
years. 

Valentine  P.  Peabody  had  a  very  meager  education,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  went  with  his  brother-in-law,  R.  S.  Burnham,  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  on  the  latter's  farm  for  one  year.  He 
then  hired  out  at  wages   from  ten  to  sixteen  dollars  a  month,   which 


330  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

work  he  continued  until  the  war  came  on.  In  April,  1861,  he  re- 
sponded to  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops,  and  was  enrolled  in  Company 
G,  Seventeenth  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  at 
Shiloh,  in  June,  i86j,  and  was  discharged  according  to  Halleck's  order. 
After  remaining  at  home  for  two  months,  he  re-enlisted,  August  12, 
J 862,  for  three  years'  service,  in  Compan}-  H,  Seventy-seventh  Illinois 
Infantry,  becoming  second  sergeant.  He  was  in  .-Vrkansas,  Tennessee, 
Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Alaljama,  was  slightly  wounded  several 
times,  but  ne\-er  off  duty,  now  ha\ing  three  crooketl  fingers  on  his  right 
hantl,  as  result  of  being  struck  by  a  shell.  He  returned  to  Spring-field, 
Illinois,  in  July,  1865,  and  he  spent  the  following  two  years  in  Chicago 
undergoing  treatment  for  granulated  eyelids,  until  his  sight  was  restored. 
He  then  spent  about  two  years  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
married,  and  in  the  spring  of  1869  came  to  Xemaha  county,  Nebraska. 
He  had  spent  all  his  cash  capital  on  his  eyes,  and  the  first  few  years  were 
vears  of  economy,  if  not  privation,  until  he  got  a  substantial  start.'  He 
has  made  fruit-growing  his  principal  enterprise.  He  has  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  eight  acres,  and  altogether  has  some  six  hundred  fruit 
trees  of  all  \arieties.     He  also  has  about  ten  acres  of  timber. 

In  h^bruar)-,  1869,  Mr.  Peabody  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Dressier,  who  was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Eleanor  ( ^\'ooIey)  Dressier,  the  former  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  of  Xew  Jersey,  and  they  had  been  farmers  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio  and  Illinois:  the  former  died  in  the  war,  of  pneumonia, 
in  1863,  at  the  age  of  forty-three,  and  the  latter's  death  occurred  in 
Mr.  Peabody's  home  in  Nebraska.  There  were  six  children  in  the  Dress- 
ier family:  Sarah,  the  wife  of  George  Stock,  died  in  Tazewell  county, 
leaving  three  children:  Mrs.  Peabody  is  the  second:  Henry,  a  farmer  of 
Nemaha  county,  came  here  in  1870,  and  has  eight  children:  John  is  a 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  331 

Nemaha  county  fanner  and  has  four  cliildren ;  Lorine,  ui  Aspinwall 
precinct,  is  the  widow  of  Pulaski  Harford,  and  has  eight  cliildren; 
Minerva  is  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Davidson,  of  this  county,  and  has  four 
children. 

Xine  children  ha\-e  heen  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peabody.  Laura, 
deceased  wife  of  C.  E.  Harris,  a  railroad  engineer  in  Colorado,  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  leaving  two  sons,  Charles  and  Earl,  who 
ha\e  since  been  with  their  grandparents;  Elmina  and  her  husband,  C. 
H.  Kindig,  are  Ixith  successful  teachers  at  Wakefield,  Nebraska,  she 
having  begun  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  they  have  taken  post-graduate 
courses  and  are  enthusiastic  in  their  profession:  Lester  is  a  farmer  north 
of  Nemaha  and  also  a  railroad  trainman,  and  has  three  children ;  Elsie, 
^\ife  of  \\'.  F.  Higgins,  a  stockman  of  Stella,  Nebraska,  has  two  chil- 
dren ;  Clarence,  unmarried,  is  a  flagman  on  the  fast  trains  between  Table 
Rock  and  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Burlington  antl  Missouri  River  road ;  Adah 
is  the  wife  of  Eli  Knapp,  a  farmer  near  Stella ;  Mabel  is  the  wife  of 
Harry  Russell,  in  Nemaha  precinct,  and  has  one  child;  i\Iiss  Alice,  aged 
sixteen,  is  a  student  in  Nemaha ;  and  Grace,  aged  fourteen,  is  in  the 
same  school,  and  is  also  taking  instrumental  music,  being  \-ery  apt  in 
this  line. 

Mr.  Peabody  is  a  stanch  Repulilican ;  his  father  was  a  Democrat 
in  earlv  life.  He  served  in  the  lower  house  of  the  state  legislature  in 
18S0-1,  and  has  been  an  active  political  worker  in  the  campaigns.  He 
has  also  held  minor  offices,  school  director  for  fifteen  years,  road  super- 
visor, etc.  He  was  census  enumerator  in  1880.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  Corbett  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Nemaha,  which  has  since  been 
abandoned.     Mrs.  Peabodv  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


332  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

MORGAN  H.  VANDEVENTER. 

Morgan  H.  \^anDeventer,  stock-buyer  and  shipper  at  Stella, 
Nebraska,  ranks  as  one  of  the  soHd  and  substantial  business  men  and 
agriculturists  of  southeastern  Nebraska,  and  is  one  of  the  real  pioneers 
of  this  part  of  the  country,  having  taken  up  his  residence  in  this  vicinity. 
May  I,  1859,  or  forty-five  years  ago,  at  a  time  when  development  and 
progress  had  hardly  begun.  He  has  figured  prominently  in  the  histor\' 
of  this  section  ever  since,  both  as  a  landowner  and  stockman  and  also 
as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  as  such  he  has  represented  the  so^'ereign 
people  in  the  halls  of  legislation  and  in  other  responsible  offices. 

Mr.  A^anDeventer  was  born  near  Delphi,  Indiana,  September  9, 
1836,  and  notwithstanding  his  near  approach  to  the  threescore  and  ten 
mark  is  as  vigorous  in  mind  and  body  as  ever.  The  ancestors  of  the 
family  were  from  Holland,  and  his  grandfather,  Isaac  VanDeventer, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  and  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Culbertson,  also  of  New  York,  and  she  was  left  a 
widow  in  the  prime  of  her  life  with  little  or  no  property,  and  she  died 
in  Indiana  at  the  age  of  fifty.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  and  the  son  James  was  a  farmer  at  Delphi,  Indiana,  where 
ne  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  two  children. 

The  other  .son,  Christopher  VanDeventer,  the  father  of  Morgan 
H.  VanDeventer,  was  the  eldest  of  the  family,  and  was  born  in  the 
Genesee  valley  of  New  York,  Septemlier  29,  1803.  and  died  in  Jewell 
ciiunty,  Kansas,  aged  eighty-eight  years,  seven  months  and  four  days. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Baum,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  June  3,  181 1, 
being  a  member  of  a  pioneer  family.  The  following  items  concerning 
the  Baum   family  history  have  been  preserved: — 

Jacob  I'.aum,  the  father  of  Elizabeth  Baum,  was  l)orn  in  Mifflin 
v.-ounty,  Pennsylvania,  October  7,   1780,  and  was  married  there  in  1801, 


MORGAN   H.   VANDEVENTER 


MRS.   SARAH  J.   VANDEVENTER 


MRS.   L.   R.   VANDEVENTER 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  333 

February  20th,  to  Asenath  Rotlirock,  wlio  became  the  mother  of  twelve 
cliildren.  October  8,  1805,  he  moved  to  Ross  county,  Ohio,  and  after 
the  division  of  that  county  he  was  in-  Pickaway  count)-,  where  he  resided 
for  twenty  years.  ?^Iarch  7,  1S25,  he  removed  with  four  otlier  families 
to  tlie  wilds  of  Indiana.  Embarking  on  the  Ohio  river  in  a  fiatboat, 
which  they  afterward  sold  and  l)ougiit  a  keelboat,  they  ascended  the 
Wabash  to  Deer  creek,  and  thence  up  that  a  half  a  mile,  and  on  April 
30th  went  ashore  and  pitched  their  tents  and  proceeded  to  put  in  crops. 
In  October  Mr.  J3aum  moved  into  a  new  house  which  he  had  erected 
on  land  he  had  the  previous  year  bought  at  a  land  sale,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  spring  of  1827  his  house  was  crowded  with  hunters  and 
travelers.  Dr.  Daniel  VanDeventer  came  there  with  a  small  stock  of 
goods  and  opened  a  store  in  a  little  log  house  built  by  Mr.  Baum.  The 
former  was  elected  recorder,  and  the  little  store  was  occupied  for  the 
purposes  of  recorder's  office,  court  room,  etc. 

Christopher  and  Elizabeth  \^anDeventer  were  married  February  10, 
1S31,  and  had  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  grew  up  but  one  son. 
Isaac  VanDeventer,  born  January  11,  1832,  was  a  farmer  in  Indiana, 
Nebraska  and  Kansas,  having  come  to  Nebraska  in  1861,  and  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war;  he  died  in  Kansas  at  about  sixty  years  of  age, 
leaving  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Mary  Ann,  born  July  17,  1834, 
died  April  2,  1857.  Morgan  H.  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  George, 
born  September  25,  1838,  died  in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  Sep- 
tember II,  1874,  leaving  a  wife  and  three  daughters:  during  the  rebel- 
lion he  recruited  a  company  for  the  Union  army.  Jonas,  born  Septem- 
ber 24,  1840,  enlisted  in  Pennock's  regiment,  and  was  killed  near  Inde- 
pendence, Missouri,  Alarch  22,  1863.  Ira  B.  and  Eliza  Jane,  twins, 
were  bom  October  9,  1843,  ^"'^1  tlie  latter  died  April  4,  1884,  while  Ira 
is  an  extensive  farmer  in  Jewell  county,  Kansas.    Margaret,  born  August 


334  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

lo,  1846.  1jv  her  first  husband,  Chauncey  Thayer,  had  one  son,  and  by  a 
]\Ir.  JNIower  liad  four  children,  and  slie  is  now  a  widow  hving  in  Jewell 
county,  Kansas.  Matilda,  born  October  10,  1848,  is  the  widow  of  E.  J. 
Proutv,  of  Washington  state,  and  has  three  children.  Reuben,  born 
March  4,  1851,  is  a  farmer  in  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  and  has  one  son 
and  two  (laughters.  Christopher,  born  November  12,  1854,  died  August 
2y,  185 V  John,  born  June  25,  1858,  is  a  resident  of  Colorado,  where 
he  is  serving  his  countv  as  assessor;  he  is  a  widower  without  children. 
]\Torgan  H.  VanDeventer  had  rather  limited  educational  advan- 
tages, and  such  as  he  had  were  obtained  in  a  primitive  log  school- 
house,  with  the  rough  puncheon  floor,  slab  seats  and  the  other  usual 
pioneer  equipment  of  the  temple  of  learning  of  those  days.  He  was  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  and  on  May  5,  1858,  left  Indi- 
ana with  an  ox  team  and  a  drove  of  stock  cattle,  and  went  to  Hudson, 
A\"isconsin,  where  he  was  employed  on  a  farm  for  thirty  days,  and 
thence  went  to  Ottawa,  Minnesota,  where  he  remained  two  months,  and 
during  the  following  winter  was  in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa.  In  the 
spring  of  1859  he  started  for  Nebraska,  driving  an  ox  team,  and  on  the 
1st  of  May  filed  on  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Richardson  county. 
After  proving  up  he  rode  back  to  Indiana  on  an  Indian  pony  for  which 
he  had  traded  his  gold  watch,  and  in  the  spring  of  i860  he  and  his 
parents  drove  overland  with  two  wagons  drawn  by  three  yoke  of  oxen 
and  a  team  of  horses,  bringing  also  six  cows.  His  parents,  who  came 
with  considerable  means,  settled  on  his  claim,  and  his  father  also  filed 
on  an  adjoining  claim.  In  1865  Mr.  VanDeventer  went  across  the 
plains  with  a  party  of  sixteen  driving  ox  teams,  engaged  in  freighting 
hardware  from  Nebraska  City  to  Denver,  and  also  taking  loads  of  corn 
to  Julesburg  in  the  same"  season.  He  and  his  brother  had  two  outfits, 
each  wagon  drawn  by  four  yoke  of  oxen.     For  the  past  thirty  years 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  335 

Mr.  A"anDe\-enter  has  been  dealing-  in  liog's,  and  has  shipped  from 
se\'ent}'-fi\-e  to  one  hnn(h"ed  cars  a  season.  He  began  Ijusiness  in  Salem, 
the  firm  of  VanDeventer  and  Morgan  continning  for  seven  years,  and 
lie  was  tlien  in  business  alone  in  Dawson  and  in  Stella,  for  the  past 
three  }ears  the  firm  of  \'anDeventer  and  Wagner  having  been  in  busi- 
ness in  the  latter  place.  He  has  shipped  more  hogs  from  this  section  of 
the  state  than  has  any  other  man.  For  eight  years  he  and  a  partner 
^\•ere  in  the  general  merchandise  business  together,  yir.  VanDeventer 
has  lieen  residing  in  town  since  1888,  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  his 
fine  farm  in  this  county  has  been  conducted  by  his  son.  They  raise 
a  larg-e  number  of  hogs,  cattle  and  other  stock,  and  have  a  model  farm- 
stead, with  large  house,  barns  and  other  improvements. 

January  12,  1862,  Mr.  VanDeventer  married  Miss  Sarah  Jane 
Brown,  and  thev  became  the  parents  of  four  sons :  Albert  is  a  stockman, 
in  Colorado,  and  has  a  wife  and  three  sons  and  a  daughter;  Burl,  a 
farmer  in  Jewell  county,  Kansas,  is  a  widower  with  two  daughters  and 
one  son;  Walter  is  on  his  father's  farm,  as  mentioned  above,  and  has  a 
wife  but  no  living  children;  and  Charles,  born  July  20,  1869,  died  aged 
seven  months,  seven  days.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  December 
II,  1900,  and  on  December  12,  1901,  Mr.  VanDeventer  married  Miss 
L.  R.  Linn,  a  veteran  school  teacher  and  one  of  the  following  family: 
E.  H.  Linn,  a  harness-maker  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  Mrs.  VanDeventer; 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Willianis,  of  Lilly,  Illinois,  a  former  teacher;  R.  G.  Linn,  of 
Pawnee  Citv,  Nebraska;  A.  A.  Linn,  of  Ottawa,  Kansas;  and  Mrs. 
William  M.  Rogers,  of  ]\Ionmouth,  Illinois.  Mrs.  VanDeventer's  fam- 
ily came  to  Nebraska  in  the  fall  of  187 1,  leaving  Tremont,  Illinois,  on 
October  20,  and  drove  through  with  two  large  wagons. 

Mr.  VanDeventer  has  been  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  for  the  past  thirty  years,  and  has  passed  all  the  chairs  of 


336  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

his  lodge.  ^^'l^iIe  on  his  farm  he  was  a  member  of  tlie  school  hoard 
for  eighteen  consecutive  years.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  was 
elected  county  commissioner  in  1868  and  served  three  years.  In  1890 
he  was  sent  t(j  represent  his  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature 
for  one  term. 


LEVI  THACKER. 

Le\i  Thacker,  the  well  known  miller  and  dealer  in  grain  and  flour, 
m  Jefferson  precinct,  Falls  City,  is  one  of  the  old  citizens  of  this  com- 
munity, having  settled  here  in  December,  1869.  He  has  followed  the 
milling  business  most  of  his  active  life,  and  has  made  a  great  success 
of  it.  His  enterprise  has  grown  from  small  proportions  in  the  days 
of  its  first  establishment  to  one  of  the  important  industries  of  the 
county,  and  he  has  built  it  up  by  his  industry  and  thrift  and  steady  per- 
severance, always  relying  upon  .exact  and  honorable  business  methods, 
so  that  prosperity  has  not  smiled  on  him  undeservedly. 

Mr.  Thacker  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  February  23, 
1843.  His  grandfather,  Townsend  Thacker,  came  to  America  from 
Germany  in  company  with  his  father  and  two  brothers,  and  after  locat- 
ing for  a  time  in  Virginia  came  on  to  Clermont  county  and  settled  in 
the  heavy  timber.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Owens,  by  whom  he  had  some 
eight  children,  but  Mr.  Levi  Thacker  has  recollection  of  only  three  of 
the  sons :  Isaac,  who  was  a  physician  of  Defiance,  Ohio ;  \\'illiam,  who 
was  a  farmer  in  good  circumstances;  and  John  O.  Townsend  Thacker 
died  in  1850,  and  his  wife  in  1870,  when  past  the  ninetieth  milestone  of 
her  life's  journey. 

John  O.  Thacker,  the  father  of  Levi,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1804, 
and  died  in  that  state  in  1845.     He  married  Rebecca  Randolph  Mount, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  337 

a  nati\e  of  Xew  Jersey,  and  they  had  four  children:  Henry,  Avho  died 
of  the  measles  in  boyhood;  Allen,  who  has  a  wife  only,  went  to  Cali- 
fornia twenty  years  ago  and  is  a  successful  miller  of  that  state;  George 
is  a  miller  of  Phillips  county,  Kansas,  and  has  four  sons  and  one 
daughter;  and  Levi  is  the  youngest  of  the  family.  The  mother  of 
these  children  was  married  a  second  time,  her  husband  being  John  W. 
Jones,  and  she  survived  him  some  twelve  years,  her  death  occurring 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1S66. 

]\Ir.  Levi  Thacker  was  reared  in  Ohio,  and  as  a  young  man  saw 
some  service  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  teamster.  He  began  learning  the 
milling  business  under  his  eldest  brother,  and  has  made  this  his  voca- 
tion in  life.  He  came  to  White  Cloud,  Kansas,  in  1864,  and  for  five 
years  was  engaged  in  running  a  flour  mill  which  he  sold  out,  and  in 
i86g  arrived  in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska.  He  had  inherited  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  from  his  father,  and  on  coming  to  Nebraska  he  and 
his  brother  purchased  a  sawmill  and  corncracker,  together  with  ninety- 
three  acres  of  land,  for  five  thousand  dollars.  In  1875  they  erected  the 
first  grist  mill  nearer  than  Salem,  with  a  two-burr  mill  twenty  by  fifty 
feet.  The  firm  was  first  A.  and  L.  Thacker,  and  Adam  Davis  after- 
wanl  joined  them,  buying  A.  Thacker's  interest,  and  they  continued  to 
carry  on  operations  for  twelve  years.  I\Ir.  Thacker  has  himself  been 
in  control  of  the  business  for  some  years.  In  1898  he  enlarged  the 
plant,  putting  in  an  engine,  and  his  ec|uipment  is  now  complete  for  pro- 
ducing fifty  barrels  of  high-grade  flour  every  day.  ]\Iost  of  the  output 
is  sokl  to  Rulo  and  Falls  City,  and  he  does  a  large  custom  business. 

Mr.  Tliacker  was  married  at  Craig,  Missouri,  April  17,  1873,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Catherine  Jones,  a  native  of  ^Missouri  and  a  daughter 
of  Isaac  H.  Jones.  ^Nlrs.  Thacker  is  the  eldest  of  the  five  living  children, 
the   others   being:   Jane,    in    Colorado;    William,    in    southern    Kansas; 


338  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Jo1in,  north  of  Falls  City ;  Mrs.  Emma  Arnold,  in  Richardson  county. 
Mrs.  Thacker's  mother  died  near  here,  and  Mr.  Jones  was  again  mar- 
ried and  had  one  daughter.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Thacker,  in  1901,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Thacker 
have  seven  children :  Otho,  who  is  a  miller,  assisting  his  father :  Edgar 
A.,  a  street  car  conductor  in  Los  Angeles;  Gertrude,  at  home;  Mary, 
in  the  Falls  City  high  school ;  Leona  Schneider,  near  Pawnee  city :  Clyde, 
also  employed  in  the  mill ;  and  Mary,  at  home.  ]\Ir.  Thacker  is  a 
Democrat,  but  without  aspirations  for  office.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church.  South.  Mr.  Thacker  has  made  all  the  improve- 
ments on  his  property,  including  a  modern  residence  situated  on  beauti- 
ful grounds  just  above  the  mill,  and  his  business  and  real  estate  interests 
are  all  verv  desirable  and  valuable. 


DAVID  WILKIE. 

David  Wilkie.  who  resides  on  section  22.  Lafayette  township,  Ne- 
maha county,  with  his  postoffice  at  Talmage,  is  one  of  the  old  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  part  of  Nebraska,  and  is  likewise  one  of  the  oldest  men 
of  the  county,  being  now  past  the  eightieth  milestone  of  an  unusually 
active  and  useful  career.  He  began  life  in  the  crude  and  primitive 
early  decades  of  the  last  century,  and  Avhat  ad\-antages  there  were  in 
in  an  educational  Avay  in  that  time  he  was  hardly  privileged  to  enjoy, 
for  since  his  young  body  had  thirteen  years'  growth  he  has  known  what 
hard  labor  is.  FTe  is  therefore  a  man  who  has  made  his  own  way  in 
the  world,  and  the  success  which  is  his  present  lot  has  been  gained  by  the 
sweat  of  the  brow  and  intelligently  directed  industry.  After  spending 
his  early  years  in  his  native  state,  he  came  to  the  Mississippi  valley  and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  339 

was  in  Illinois  before  the  Civil  war,  during  which  conflict  he  gave  three 
years  of  his  loyal  service  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  arms,  as  a  member 
of  an  Illinois  regiment,  and  he  now  draws  a  pension  from  the  govern- 
ment to  which  he  gave  a  patriot's  highest  devotion.  Right  after  the 
war  he  came,  in  true  emigrant  fashion,  in  his  wagons  and  with  house- 
hold efifects  and  stock  and  family,  to  the  new  country  across  the  Big 
Muddy,  where  he  made  his  start,  in  humble  circumstances,  on  govern- 
ment land.  In  the  years  that  have  since  elapsed  the  results  of  his  dili- 
gence have  yearly  become  more  manifest,  as  anyone  could  bear  witness 
who  should  visit  the  fine  estate  of  four  hundred  acres  where  he  has 
developed  his  home  and  made  the  seat  of  his  residence  for  nearly  forty 
years. 

Mr.  Wilkie  was  born  in  the  little  town  of  Queensbury,  Warren 
county.  New  York,  August  8,  1823.  His  grandparents.  David  and  Eliza- 
beth (Irish)  Wilkie,  were  farmers  of  Rensselaer  county.  Xew  York,  and 
their  remains  now  rest  in  Warren  county  of  that  state.  They  reared 
two  sons  and  one  daughter,  Mary,  who  became  the.  wife  of  Isaac  File 
and  reared  thirteen  of  her  fifteen  children. 

Jacob  Wilkie,  Mr.  Wilkie's  father,  was  born  in  Warren  county,' 
New  York,  before  1800.  and  was  a  successful  farmer,  owning  a  place 
of  two  hundred  acres  and  also  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  timber  land  in 
the  same  county.  He  was  married  about  1820  to  Mary  Weston,  of  the 
same  county,  and  they  had  four  sons,  as  follows :  John  Weston  Wilkie, 
born  about  1821,  and  died  at  Glen  Falls,  New  York,  about  1897,  was 
all  through  the  Civil  war  as  a  private  soldier,  was  twice  married,  and 
followed  the  business  of  manufacturing  the  old-fashioned  cradles  for 
reaping  grain;  David  \A'ilkie  is  the  second  son;  James  is  a  farmer  at 
Brock,  Nemaha  county ;  and  Martin  died  in  Warren  county  New  York, 
in  middle  life,  leaving  a  small  family. 


340 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


David  Wilkie  grew  up  in  Warren  county  and  remained  at  home 
until  his  marriage.  Two  weeks  after  he  was  thirteen  years  old  he  began 
driving  teams  to  lumber  wagons,  although  his  childish  strength  would 
not  permit  of  his  loading  the  lumber.  He  was  married  in  1847,  and 
afterward  came  to  Illinois.  After  his  return  from  the  Civil  war,  in 
1865,  he  left  Dekalb  county,  Illinois,  and  drove  overland  to  Nebraska 
Citv.  where  he  arrived  in  October,  having  been  three  weeks  enroute. 
He  had  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  capital,  and  in  the  next  June  he 
paid  out  the  last  dollar  of  this  for  a  plow  with  which  to  break  the  new 
sod  of  his  government  purchase.  He  now  owns  without  incumbrance 
four  hundred  acres  of  choice  land,  and  he  has  placed  all  the  imi)ni\-o- 
ments  upon  it,  including  the  shade  trees  and  orchards  which  embower 
and  beautify  the  place.  He  has  a  fine  new  barn  fifty  by  fifty  feet,  and 
his  comfortable  farm  house  was  erected  in  1897.  He  has  engaged  in 
general  farming,  and  hogs  has  been  the  principal  stock  raised,  of  which 
he  has  kept  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  head,  to  which 
he  has  fed  the  most  of  his  corn,  of  which  he  grows  about  eighty  acres 
each  year,  besides  what  is  put  in  by  his  tenant.  He  has  a  tenant  house 
on  the  place. 

On  July  31,  1847,  Mr.  Wilkie  was  married  to  Miss  Lovina  Hala- 
day,  who  was  born  March  i,  1830,  one  of  the  six  children  reared  in  the 
family  of  Harvey  Haladay.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilkie  have  their  one  son, 
Har\e\-  Jacob,  born  in  Warren  county,  New  York,  ^lay  26,  1848, 
He  was  married  in  Illinois  to  Miss  Julia  Thompson,  of  that  state,  and 
of  this  union  there  are  seven  living  children,  one  having  died  in  infancy, 
.•IS  follows;  Emma,  Mary,  Carrie,  David  and  Douglas,  twins,  Adelbert 
and  Floyd.  These  granddaughters  of  Mr.  Wilkie  are  married,  and  he 
is  the  proud  great-grandfather  of  se\-en  boys  and  girls.  Mr.  Wilkie 
is  a  Master  Mason,  and  in  politics  a  Republican,  as  are  also  his  son 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  341 

and  grandsons.     He  has  served  as  road  overseer.     He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


JAMES  I.  SHAW. 

James  T.  Shaw,  a  prominent  farmer  and  business  man  of  Adams, 
Gage  county,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  county's  very  oldest  residents. 
He  came  liere  in  1857,  during  tlie  days  of  squatter  sovereignty,  so  that 
there  is  scarcely  a  phase  of  political  or  industrial  history  of  the  state 
with  which  he  has  not  been  contemporaneous  and  personally  familiar. 
He  has  always  been  known  as  a  capable  and  enterprising  citizen,  able 
to  advance  his  own  prosperity  and  at  the  same  time  public-spirited  and 
foremost  in  lending  aid  to  endeavors  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity and  county.  He  has  an  honorable  record  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  war,  and  since  that  time  has  several  times  figured  in  the  public 
life  of  his  home  locality.  He  is  esteemed  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances,  and  is  genial  and  open-hearted  and  popular  through- 
out Gage  county. 

]\Ir.  Shaw  was  liorn  in  Dutchess  county.  New  York,  November  30. 
183S.  His  great-grandfather  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  his 
family  was  in  the  Wyoming  massacre,  in  which  two  of  his  sons  were 
victims  of  the  Indians'  tomahawks.  Benjamin  Shaw,  another  of  the 
sons  of  this  Revolutionary  patriot,  escaped  massacre,  and  his  son  Stephen 
was  the  father  of  ]\Ir.  Shaw.  Stephen  Shaw  married  Hannah  Hicks,  a 
daughter  of  John  Hicks.  The  family  moved  from  Dutchess  county, 
New  York,  to  Kenosha  county,  Wisconsin,  and  in  1857  again  embarked 
their  goods  and  set  out  for  Nebraska.  Two  months  after  starting  they 
arrived  in  Gage  county,  and  took  up  a  claim  two  miles  from  Adams. 


342  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

There  were  the  foHowing  sons  and  daughters  in  the  family  besides  Mr. 
Shaw:  WiHiam,  who  was  a  soldier,  and  met  his  death  by  accident; 
Egbert,  deceased,  was  a  soldier  in  the  same  company  with  his  brother 
James;  John  is  a  resident  of  Adams,  Nebraska;  Steven  lives  in  Adams; 
Margaret  Gale  is  deceased;  Emily  is  married  and  living  in  Gage  county; 
Almira  Lyons  resides  in  Adams ;  Hannah  Noxom ;  and  Rebecca  Sil- 
vernail,  living  in  Adams.  The  father  of  this  family,  who  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  in  politics  a  Democrat,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 

James  L  Shaw  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  finishing  his  school  days  before  coming  to  Nebraska.  On  July 
3,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Omaha  in  Company  H,  First  Nebraska  Infantry, 
under  Captain  Kenedy  and  Colonel  Thayer,  the  latter  afterward  becom- 
ing a  general  and  also  governor  of  Nebraska.  The  regiment  was  sent 
south  in  time  to  participate  in  the  campaign  ending  with  the  capture  of 
Fort  Donelson,  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Cape  Girardeau,  and  then 
was  sent  against  the  forces  of  Price  and  Marmaduke  through  Missouri 
and  Arkansas.  In  July,  1864,  Mr.  Shaw  received  a  furlough  and  went 
to  Omaha.  He  had  veteranized  in  the  fall  of  1863  and  in  the  fall  of 
1864  was  then  sent  to  the  frontier  to  guard  government  trains  and  set- 
tlers against  the  Indians,  being  stationed  at  Fort  Kearney  and  Julesburg. 
He  received  his  final  discharge  at  Omaha  in  1866,  being  first  sergeant 
of  his  company.  He  thus  has  a  record  of  unusual  length  of  service, 
and  fully  deserves  all  the  honor  which  is  shown  the  old  veteran  of  the 
greatest  war  of  history.  After  the  war  Mr.  Shaw  set  himelf  to  farm- 
ing and  business  pursuits  in  Gage  county,  and  that  he  has  prospered  is 
indicated  by  his  present  circumstances.  He  owns  one  of  the  fine  farms 
of  the  county,  consisting  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  and  has  one 
of  the  best  brick  store  buildings  in  Adams,  besides  five  good  houses. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  343 

Mr.  Shaw  was  postmaster  of  Adams  during  the  Harrison  adminis- 
tration, and  has  heen  active  in. the  work  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  a  loyal  member  of  the  Sergeant  Cox  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  popular 
with  all  his  old  comrades.  He  was  married  in  Omaha  in  1867  to  Mrs. 
Virginia  Stewart,  who  was  born  on  the  ocean  while  her  Scotch  parents 
were  on  their  way  to  America.  They  have  one  son,  Egbert,  who  is  now 
twenty-eight  years  of  age,  a  resident  of  Adams. 


GEORCtE  B.  LEWIS. 

This  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  the  well  known  fruit 
farmer  and  grain  dealer  of  Brownville,  is  numbered  among  the  early 
pioneers  of  Xemaha  county,  for  here  he  has  made  his  home  since  the 
1st  of  June,  1857.  Tie  came  here  from  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania, 
his  native  place,  his  birth  there  occurring  on  the  4th  of  August,  1844. 
He  is  of  Welsh  ancestry,  for  in  that  country  his  father,  George  B. 
Lewis,  was  born  in  1789,  but  when  a  young  man  came  to  this  country 
and  was  here  married  to  Mary  Jones,  a  lady  of  ^^'elsh  descent.  He  was 
a  coal  miner,  and  they  early  went  to  Penns)-Ivania,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  mining  anthracite  coal  and  for  many  years  also  served  as 
overseer  of  the  mines  of  Colonel  Lee.  From  that  [ilace  they  came  by 
rail  and  water  to  Xemaha  county.  Nebraska,  in  1856,  where  the  elder 
Mr.  Lewis  purchased  a  half  section  of  land  two  miles  southeast  of 
Auburn,  paying  four  hundred  dollars  for  the  pre-emption  right  of  Joseph 
Council,  fie  made  many  improvements  on  this  place,  and  at  his  death 
left  a  valuable  homestead  to  his  seven  surviving  children.  He'  passed 
away  in  1859,  and  one  year  previously  he  had  buried  his  wife.  They 
were  worthy  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  in  which  he  served  as  a 


344  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

deacon  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Their  seven  children  were  as  fol- 
lows :  David,  who  died  during  his  service  in  the  Ci\'il  war,  when  twenty 
years  of  age,  leaving  a  wife;  Elizabeth,  the  widow  of  H.  O.  Minnick 
and  a  resident  of  Nemaha  City;  George  B. ;  Washington  J-,  who  went 
to  California  in  an  early  day  and  is  now  deceased :  Isaac,  a  carpenter  in 
Colorado;  Daniel  D.,  who  died  in  Brown\-ille  in  the  prime  of  life, 
leaving  one  son;  and  Charles,  who  died  in  his  boyhood. 

George  B.  Lewis  enjoyed  but  limited  educational  pri\-ileges  in 
his  youth,  being-  permitted  to  attend  school  only  until  his  twelfth  year, 
and  previous  to  that  time  he  also  worked  in  the  mines.  At  the  first  call 
for  volunteers  to  assist  in  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  he  enlisted 
in  a  six  months'  Alissouri  infantry,  later  entering  the  Fifth  Missouri 
Cavalry,  in  which  he  served  for  two  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which 
period  he  was  mustered  out.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the  First 
Nebraska  Cavalry,  with  which  he  served  from  1864  until  1-866  on  the 
frontier  of  Nebraska,  and  on  the  30th  of  J"ne,  1866,  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge  at  Omaha  as  a  first  sergeant.  Returning  thence  10 
Atchison  county,  Missouri,  he  w'as  there  married  on  the  6th  of  Decem- 
ber following  to  Mrs.  Mary  Stout,  the  widow  of  W.  C.  Stout  and  a 
daughter  of  H.  S.  and  Charlotte  (Harmon)  Hill,  natives  respectively 
of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  Bond 
county,  Illinois,  she  being  then  fifteen  years  old  and  he  twenty,  and 
in  that  state  they  became  well  known  farming  people.  In  1850  they 
left  the  Prairie  state  for  Missouri,  but  one  year  later  returned  to  their 
old  home  farm  in  Atchison  county,  where  they  remained  for  about  a 
year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  reared  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  as 
follows:  Mrs.  Tewis;  William,  who  died  in  Missouri  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age;  George,  who  was  a  printer,   died  at  St.   Joe,   Missouri, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  345 

leaving  a  -wife  and  one  daughter;  Nancy  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Lewis  Keel,  died  in  middle  life,  leaving  two  children;  Drucilla.  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Jones,  of  Watson,  Alissouri,  and  they  have  one  son;  and 
Benjamin  F.  is  a  printer  in  St.  Joe,  and  has  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Hill 
was  called  from  this  earth  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  in  1894,  and 
]\Ir.  Hill  was  an  octogenarian  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  also 
occurred  in  1894.  They  were  members  of  the  Christian  church,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  he  served  as  a  county  judge.  By  her  first  marriage 
]\Irs.  Lewis  became  the  mother  of  the  following  children :  Henry  Clay 
Stout,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  leaving  one  son ;  Clara 
Bell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Elmer  Ellsworth  Stout,  a  resi- 
dent of  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Carrie  Bell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
months. 

The  following  children  have  blessed  the  union  of  Air.  and  Airs. 
Lewis;  Nevada  Idona.  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  October  18,  1867, 
became  the  wife  of  Thomas  Fisher,  and  died  at  Liberty,  Nebraska, 
in  1894.  For  several  years  she  was  a  teacher  in  Auburn.  John  B.  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  i86g,  and  is  now  serving  as  a  station  agent  at 
Brownville.  He  is  married  and  has  three  daughters.  Libbie  is  the 
wife  of  R.  Setzer,  of  Nebraska  City,  and  they  have  one  son.  Morris. 
She  also  has  one  son  by  a  former  marriage,  Lewis  Heaton,  a  bright 
little  lad  of  twelve  years,  who  makes  his  home  with  his  grandparents. 
Malcolm  was  drowned  at  Brownville  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  numbered  among  the  leading  business  men  of  Brownville. 
where  he  is  a  well  known  fruit  farmer  and  grain  dealer,  and  on  his 
thirty  city  lots  he  is  raising  many  varieties  of  fruit.  His  home  is  a 
sightly  one  and  was  erected  by  Air.  ^^^heeler.  who  was  our  subject's 
guardian  in  his  youth.  Both  Air.  and  Airs.  Lewis  are  worthy  members 
of  the  Christian  church. 


346  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

DR.  J.  W.  McKIBBIN. 

Dr.  J.  W.  McKibbin,  a  prominent  physician  and  surgeon  of  Adams, 
has  been  engaged  in  practice  here  for  over  twenty-one  years.  He  is 
a  thoroughly  up-to-date  practitioner,  is  broad-minded  and  possessed  of 
abundant  theoretical  knowledge,  and  has  all  the  personal  attributes 
which  make  the  popular  and  sympathetic  physician,  able  to  enter  a  house- 
hold not  only  as  the  messenger  of  healing  but  of  good  cheer  and  kind- 
ness. He  has  been  very  successful  since  locating  in  Adams,  and  is 
entirely  worthy  of  the  esteem  which  is  everywhere  accorded  him. 

Dr.  McKibbin  was  born  near  Milford,  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana, 
Januarv  8,  1852,  a  member  of  a  well  known  family  of  that  county.  His 
father,  Samuel  McKibbin,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  of  Scotch  ancestry, 
and  came  to  Indiana  in  1837,  being  one  of  the  early  settlers.  He  was 
married  in  Ohio,  and  by  his  first  wife  had  two  children,  and  he  was 
afterwards  married  to  Malinda  Wood,  in  Indiana;  she  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  of  an  old  Kentucky  family.  Dr.  iMcKibbin's  father 
died  in  Indiana  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  his  mother  at  the 
age  of  twentv-seven.  The  former  was  a  stanch  Jacksonian  Democrat, 
and  was  honored  and  respected  throughout  the  community.  He  was 
also  a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  was  a  class-leader. 

Dr.  McKibbin  was  reared  in  Kosciusko  county,  and  given  a  good 
education.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  Department  of  North- 
western University,  in  the  class  of  1878.  For  two  years  he  engaged 
in  practice  in  his  home  place,  and  then  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska, 
where  he  has  been  in  continuous  residence  and  practice  for  over  twenty 
years.  In  addition  to  his  practice  he  is  owner  of  the  Adams  Stock 
Farm,  on  which  he  raises  some  of  the  best  shorthorn  cattle  in  south- 
eastern Nebraska,  and  this  enterprise  is  not  only  a  source  of  profit  as  an 
investment,  but  creates  a  diversion  from  professional  duties. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  347 

Dr.  jNIcKibbin  is  independent  in  political  matters.  He  affiliates 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  county  and  state  medical  societies.  He  is  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  State  Bank  of  Adams,  which  is  one  of  the  best  and  safest 
of  Gaee  county  banks. 


DUDLEY  VAN  VALKENBURG. 

Dudley  Van  Valkenburg,  grain  buyer  of  Rulo,  Richardson  county, 
first  came  to  this  town  on  March  7,  1866,  and  has  been  in  many  ways 
identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  community  since  that  early  time. 
He  has  had  a  varied  and  wide  experience  in  life  and  affairs,  and  is  a 
man  of  ability  and  personal  worth  in  all  the  undertakings  of  a  busy 
career.  He  has  witnessed  and  taken  an  acti\e  part  in  the  material  and 
general  development  of  the  southeastern  part  of  the  state,  and  has  never 
been  found  wanting  in  capable  performance  of  the  duties  and  obligations 
of  good  citizenship  and  as  a  social  factor. 

Mr.  Van  Valkenburg,  who  is  of  a  good  old  Dutch  family  of  the 
old  York  state,  was  born  in  Kinderhook,  New  York,  December  21,  1839. 
His  grandfather  was  Harry  Van  \'alkenburg,  Avho  lived  and  died  at 
Kinderhook,  attaining  the  age  of  seventy.  Of  his  two  daughters  and 
four  sons,  all  had  families,  and  two  sons  and  two  daughters  remained 
in  Columbia  county,  New  York,  and  two  went  to  Syracuse  of  the  same 
state. 

Samuel  Dudley-  Van  \"alkenburg,  the  father  of  Dudley,  was  born 
in  Columbia  county.  New  York,  in  1816,  and  died  in  Green  county, 
Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  about  fifty-six.  He  married,  in  1S38,  Mar- 
garet Shufelt,  who  was  born  in  1817,  and  who  is  still  living  with  her 


348         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

daughter  in  Wisconsin,  bright  and  acti\'e,  notwithstanding  her  many 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter :  Dudley ; 
Mrs.  Elsie  Darlington,  of  Buffalo  county,  Wisconsin;  Adelbert,  in 
Washington  state;  and  Norman,  of  the  same  state. 

Mr.  Dudley  Van  Valkenburg  had  a  first-class  common  school  train- 
ing, and  in  the  course  of  his  career  has  taught  school  for  twelve  years. 
On  Jnne  i,  1862,  he  volunteered  at  Kingston,  Wisconsin,  in  Company 
C,  Third  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  for 
three  years  and  sixteen  days,  being  mustered  out  at  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
sas, on  Jnne  16,  1865.  He  Avas  a  corporal  and  on  detached  duty  for 
nineteen  months,  and  was  lucky  enough  to  escape  all  wounds  and  impris- 
onment during  his  many  campaigns.  Altogether  he  has  been  in  the 
service  of  the  government  for  fifteen  years,  being  employed  in  North 
Dakota  in  erecting  mills  for  the  Indians,  for  four  years  was  a  mail 
carrier  in  Nebraska  and  Missouri,  and  for  several  years  acted  as  super- 
intendent of  Indian  schools  in  Kansas.  He  has  been  in  the  grain-buying 
trade  since  he  located  permanently  at  Rulo,  in  1S92,  and  has  an  extensive 
and  profitable  business.  He  owns  his  home  and  seven  lots  in  the  town, 
and  also  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  near  WHiite 
Cloud,  Kansas,  having  bought  it  in  1890. 

Mr.  Van  Valkenburg  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  has  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  was  deputy  sheriff  for  eight  years,  was  constable 
two  years,  and  for  six  years  deputy  United  States  marshal.  He  is  a 
Master  Mason  and  past  master  of  Orient  Lodge  No.  13,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  at  Rulo.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star 
and  of  the  Degree  of  Honor,  and  belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Van  Valkenburg  was  married  in  Yankton,  North  Dakota, 
November  5,  1869,  to  Miss  Sylvania  Roubidoux,  who  was  born  October 
21,  1843,  i"  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  a  city  founded  by  her  paternal  grand- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  349 

father,  Joseph  Roubidoux,  and  one  of  the  streets  Isears  his  name.  Her 
parents  were  Farren  and  EHzabeth  (Cedar)  Roubidoux,  who  lost  one 
child  in  infancy  and  reared  this  one  daughter.  Her  mother  was  born 
in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  in  May.  1823,  and  married  for  her  second  hus- 
band Major  Stephen  Story,  by  whom  she  had  six  children.  She  died 
in  Rulo,  December  i,  1900.  She  and  her  first  husband  entered  a  claim 
on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  St.  Joseph,  and  she  also  figin-ed  as 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Richardson  county,  Nebraska.  Her  first 
husband,  Mr.  Roubidoux.  died  in  St.  Joseph  in  1845,  and  Major  Story 
died  in  Rulo,  January  2j,  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  The  latter 
ser\-ed  in  the  ^Mexican  war.  and  at  his  death  was  the  oldest  white  settler 
of  Nebraska.  ]Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  A'an  Valkenburg  have  two  children: 
Vesta,  at  home,  who  is  an  accomplished  pianist  and  a  forceful  character 
and  energetic  worker  both  in  her  home  and  in  various  social  matters : 
Frank,  the  son,  has  for  the  past  three  years  been  employed  in  the  office 
of  the  superintendent  of  the  Burlington  Railroad  at  Chicago. 


CHARLES  HARDEN. 

Amongst  the  most  pleasant  rural  homes  of  Gage  county  is  that 
of  Charles  Harden,  of  Blue  Springs  township,  it  Ijeing  complete  in  all 
its  appointments,  and  a  gracious  hospitality  adds  a  charm  to  its  material 
comforts.  ]\Ir.  Harden  is  a  \-eteran  of  the  Ci\il  war  and  bears  an 
honorable  record  for  bra\e  service  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  union, 
and  in  the  paths  of  jieace  he  has  also  won  an  enxiable  reputation 
through  the  sterling  qualities  which  go  to  the  making  of  a  good  citizen. 

Mr.  Harden  was  born  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  in  1847,  ^'^^'^  '^ 
a  son  of   Richard   Harden,  a  native  of  Brigliton,   England,   who   was 


350    '      SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

seven  years  old  on  tlie  emigration  of  liis  parents  to  America,  tlie  family 
locating  in  Ohio.  In  1833  h^  went  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  became 
identified  with  the  earl)^  development  of  that  locality,  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  many  of  the  first  log  cabins  in  Peoria  county.  He  married 
Miss  Mary  Gillon,  of  Washington  county,  Iowa,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  left 
four  children :  Mary  Jane,  now  deceased :  Charles ;  John ;  and  Mary  E. 
The  father  was  again  married,  and  by  the  second  union  had  two  chil- 
dren :  Alice  and  Richard  A.  He  died  in  Peoria  county  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  in  politics  was 
a  Democrat. 

The  early  life  of  Charles  Harden  was  passed  in  a  rather  uneventful 
manner  upon  the  home  farm  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  and  his  education 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  that  locality.  He  was  only  sixteen 
years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  army,  enlisting  at  Peoria,  in  May, 
1864,  as  a  private  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  His  command  was  following  up  Generals  Price  and  Forrest 
most  of  the  time  and  were  on  duty  in  Kentucky,  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas. When  hostilities  ceased  Mr.  Harden  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge and  returned  home  to  resume  the  more  quiet  pursuits  of  farm  life. 

In  1866  Mr.  Harden  went  to  Iowa,  and  after  spending  some  time 
in  Wapello  county,  he  settled  near  Shenandoah  in  Page  countv.  He 
was  married  in  that  city  in  1877  to  Miss  Mary  Beer,  who  has  been  to 
him  a  faithful  comijanion  and  helpmeet.  She  was  born  in  Fulton 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  that  state  and  Iowa. 
Her  parents  were  William  and  Adeline  Beer,  the  former  of  whom  is 
now  deceased,  but  the  latter  is  still  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harden 
were  born  tlie  following  children:  Delia:  Ola,  wife  of  O.   D.   Strong, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  351 

and  lives  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas ;  Nettie,  who  is  now  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Gage  county,  Nebraska;  Floy;  Hattie; 
Madge,  deceased ;  Lynn ;  and  Dale,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
months. 

Leaving  Iowa  in  ]88i,  INIr.  Harden  and  his  family  removed  to 
Marshall  county,  Kansas,  and  located  near  Oketo,  where  he  became 
the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres.  He  sold  that  place  in  1893 
and  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  purchasing  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Riverside  farm  in  Blue  Springs  township,  which  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres.  This  he  placed  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  impro\-ed  in  a  creditable  manner,  erecting  an  elegant 
ten-room  house.  He  has  two  large  orchards,  yiv.  Harden  votes  with 
the  Democratic  party  and  keeps  up  his  acquaintance  with  his  old  army 
comrades  by  his  membership  in  Scott  Post  No.  37,  G.  A.  R. 


W.  ^L  FULTON. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Liberty  township.  Gage 
county,  Nebraska,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for  the  p^st  twenty 
years.  He  was  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  about  fifty-four 
years  ago,  and  is  descended  from  a  good  old  family  of  the  central  part  of 
that  state.  His  father,  John  R.  Fulton,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  son  of  Jacob  Fulton,  who  was  also  born  there  and  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction.  The  latter  was  a  .soldier  of  the  war  of  18 12,  while 
the  former  aided  in  the  preservation  of  the  L'nion  during  the  Ci\il  war. 
In  earlv  manhood  John  R.  Fulton  married  Elizabeth  Beals,  who  was 
also  born  in  the  Keystone  state,  of  Welsh  ancestry.     Many  years  ago 


352  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

he  removed  to  Trego  county,  Kansas,  where  he  is  now  hving  at  tlie 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-five  years.  By  trade  he  is  a  carpenter.  Tlirough- 
out  Hfe  he  has  been  a  faithful  members  of  the  ]\Iethodist  church,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  class-leader  and  exhorter,  and  he  has  lead  an  earnest, 
consistent  Christian  life.  His  political  support  is  given  the  Republican 
part)'.  His  wife,  who  was  a  most  estimable  lady,  died  in  Wymore,  Ne- 
braska, in  1884.  To  them  were  born  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Wesley  M. ;  D.  B. ;  Cannarissa;  Fannie;  Ben  and 
Mary,  twins;  Steven  Ed;  Arthur,  deceased;  and  Emma,  deceased. 

]\Ir.  ^^'esley  M.  Fulton  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Center  and 
Indiana  counties,  Pennsyh-ania,  where  he  was  reared  to  habits  of  indus- 
try, his  education  being  acquired  in  the  puljlic  schools.  He  has  greatly 
broadened  his  knowledge  in  later  years  by  reading 'and  experience  in  the 
business  world.  On  the  23d  of  September,  1873,  he  led  to  the  mar- 
raige  altar  r\Iiss  Lucinda  Enterline,  who  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Jefferson  county,  that  state.  On  the 
paternal  side  she  is  of  German  descent,  though  her  parents,  Daniel  and 
Lucinda  (  Shives)  Enterline,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former 
born  in  Dauphin  county.  Both  died  in  that  state.  They  held  member- 
ship in  the  Evangelical  church,  and  Mr.  Enterline  voted  with  the  Re- 
pul)lican  party.  In  the  family  were  tweh-e  children,  of  whom  eleven 
reached  maturity.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fulton  have  had  ten  children  :  Chandas, 
deceased;  Lillie  N. ;  Charles  P.;  W.  D.,  editor  of  the  Liberty  Journal; 
John  L.,  deceased;  F.  F.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  granite  and  marble  busi- 
ness in  Wymore,  Nebraska ;  Bessie  L. ;  W'ilda  B. ;  George  E. ;  and 
Ralph  E. 

In  1883  Mr.  Fulton  came  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  and  purchaseil 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Liberty  township,  which  he  has 
converted  into  a  very  valuable  property,  being  now  worth  sixty-five  dol- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  353 

lars  per  acre.  There  is  a  good  bearing  orchard  and  grove  upon  the 
place  and  the  buildings  are  gocnl  and  substantial.  In  addition  to  gen- 
eral farming  Mr.  Fulton  carrie.s  on  stock-raising  and  is  also  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  representing  the  ^Mutual  Insurance 
Company  of  Nebraska.  He  is  an  upright,  reliable  business  man,  and 
soon  gains  the  confidence  of  all  ^vith  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

At  state  and  national  elections  Mr.  Fulton  supports  the  Democratic 
ticket,  but  at  local  elections  where  no  issue  is  involved  he  v.ites  for  the 
men  who  he  belie\-es  best  c|ualified  for  office  regardless  of  party  lines. 
He  has  been  a  delegate  to  county  and  congressional  conventions  of  his 
party,  and  has  taken  quite  an  active  and  influential  part  in  local  politics. 
For  thirteen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  served 
two  terms  as  assessor  of  Liberty  township  and  is  now  ser\-ing  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  Pleasant  and  genial  in  manner,  he  n'lakes  many  friends 
and  is  held  in  high  regard  bv  all  who  know  him. 


BENTON   ALDRICH. 

Benton  Aldrich,  the  well  known  farmer  and  horticulturist  in  Wash- 
ington precinct,  near  Auburn,  Nemaha  county,  receiving  his  mail  by 
rural  delivery  route  No.  2,  has  lived  in  the  same  locality  for  nearly  forty 
years,  coming  to  Nebraska  in  the  last  year  of  the  Civil  war.  As  he  is 
one  of  the  oldest  citizens,  so  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful  and  one 
of  the  most  highly  esteemed.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial,  thorough- 
going men  who  devote  their  best  efforts  to  the  performance  of  the 
work  for  which  they  have  displayed  the  most  aptitude,  and  this  with 
Mr.  Aldrich  has  been  the  free  outdoor  life  of  the  farm  and  among  the 
trees.     He  is  an  authority  on  tree  culture,  and  is  one  of  the  leading 


354  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

apple-growers  of  Nemaha  county.  His  long  life  of  over  seventy  years 
lias  been  filled  with  useful  effort,  and  he  and  his  wife  still  retain  their 
full  capacity  for  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  and  pleasant  things  that 
surround  them,  and  are  contented  and  happy  in  every  phase  of  their 
lives. 

Mr.  Aldrich  comes  of  one  of  the  oldest  American  families,  and 
its  members  through  many  generations  have  filled  positions  of  honor 
and  trust  and  usefulness  in  various  parts  of  this  broad  land.  Authentic 
history  states  that  George  Aldrich,  a  native  of  England,  landed  in 
America,  November  6,  1631,  and  first  settled  in  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts, later  in  Braintree,  and  came  to  the  territory  which  was  incor- 
porated as  the  town  of  Mendon,  before  July,  1663,  and  he  was  the  sixth 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  town.  All  his  children  were  born  in  Braintree. 
This  progenitor  of  the  Aldrich  family  in  America  died  on  March  i,  1682. 

Passing  over  several  generations  in  direct  descent,  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  our  Nemaha  county  citizen  was  Benjamin  Aldrich,  who 
was  born  in  Massachusetts.  He  was  the  second  on  the  list  of  the 
eight  grantees  of  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  New  Hampshire,  where 
he  settled  in  1741.  He  was  driven  off  by  the  Indians  before  his  grant 
was  proved  up,  but  it  was  renewed,  and  the  farm  thus  settled  remained 
in  the  possession  of  members  of  the  family  down  to  1885.  He  died 
in  Westmoreland,  May  15,  1763,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  life. 

Caleb  Aldrich,  the  great-grandfather,  was  born  in  Walpole,  Mass- 
achusetts, March  4,  1730,  and  he  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  AVestmore- 
land.  New  Hampshire,  December  6,  1799,  having  married  in  1757. 
Grandfather  Aldrich  was  born  in  Westmoreland,  New  Hampshire,  May 
29,  1764,  was  a  life-long  farmer  in  that  state,  and  died  in  1842,  a  short 
time  before  the  death  of  his  wife  in  the  same  year.  He  married  Sarah 
Brown,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Brown,  of  Salem,  Massachusetts. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  355 

They  had  six  children :  William  A.,  a  farmer,  and  died  single  at  the 
age  of  twenty-eight;  Alfred,  mentioned  below;  Sarah,  wife  of  Daniel 
Winchester,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  and  was  the  mother  of  six 
children;  Fanny  had  a  large  number  of  children  by  Samuel  Mason  and 
she  died  aged  about  sixty  years;  Polly  died  at  the  age  of  eighty,  with- 
out children;  and  Sophia  died  without  children  at  the  age  of  fifty. 

Alfred  Aldrich,  father  of  Benton  Aldrich,  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  in  New  Hampshire,  March  14,  1795,  ^"^  died  there  on 
March  10,  1873.  He  was  married  in  1825  to  Miss  Mary  Farrar,  who 
was  born  in  Hillsboro,  New  Hampshire,  September  11,  1805,  and  died 
in  Brattleboro,  Vermont,  October  26,  1887,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Isaac  Farrar  and  his  wife.  Alfred  Aldrich  and  his  wife  had  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Alfred,  born  J'luuary  5.  1827,  was  blind  from  birth 
and  died  from  cancer  at  the  age  of  three;  one  died  in  infancy;  Benton 
is  the  third;  Hanson,  born  October  21,  1833,  was  accidentally  killed 
September  25,  1847;  Mi's-  Mary  Elsie  Chickering,  a  widow  residing  at 
Brattleboro,  Vermont,  was  born  February  3,  1836,  and  has  two  sons 
and  one  daughter  and  has  grandchildren  by  each  of  them;  Miss  Har- 
riet Elizabeth  died  in  1865 ;  and  Lina  is  the  wife  of  F.  D.  Fisk,  of 
Brattleboro,  and  has  three  daughters. 

Benton  Aldrich  was  born  on  the  old  farm  in  Cheshire  county.  New 
Hampshire,  May  3,  1831.  He  spent  one  year  in  the  academy  at  Sax- 
tons  River,  Vermont,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  left  home  and  came 
west  to  Hudson,  St.  Croix  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  began  the 
career  which  has  eventuated  so  prosperously  by  working  for  various 
farmers.  During  the  four  and  a  half  years  that  he  was  thus  engaged 
he  met  and  married  his  wife.  He  had  become  owner  of  some  land  in 
the  county,  and  immediately  after  his  marriage  he  sold  at  a  profit  and 
moved  to  Winona  county,  Minnesota.     He  settled  on  one  hundred  and 


356  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

sixty  acres  of  wild  land  there,  and  when  it  came  into  market  bought  the 
squatter's  right  to  it.  He  kept  a  postoffice  in  his  log  cabin,  and  named 
this  office  and  the  hamlet  which  grew  up  about  it  Wiscoy,  which  name 
it  still  retains.  He  improved  his  land,  and  in  1862  sold  it  and  went 
to  Dunn  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  farmed  for  two  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1865  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska, 
where  has  been  the  scene  of  his  operations  ever  since.  He  bought 
forty  acres  for  fifty  dollars,  and  this  tract  is  now  a  part  of  the  four 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  which  comprise  the  family  estate,  of  which  his 
son  owns  one  hundred,  a  daughter  fifty-one,  Mrs.  Aldrich  one  hundred, 
and  of  the  remainder  his  younger  son  now  owns  a  part.  He  resides  in  a 
house  that  is  a  composite  of  grotto  and  dugout,  and  is  curious  in  ap- 
pearance, but  has  afforded  his  family  the  comforts  of  a  home  for  many 
years.  He  and  his  wife  are  very  contented  in  this  modest  dwelling, 
hut  they  contemplate  building  in  the  near  future  a  more  commodious 
home,  and  on  one  of  the  prettiest  sites  to  be  found  anywhere.  This  ideal 
spot  is  surrounded  with  groves  of  ornamental  and  fruit  trees,  retired 
from  the  dusty  road  and  reached  through  an  embowered  driveway  be- 
tween a  colonade  of  maples  which  have  all  been  planted  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Aldrich.  I\Ir.  Aldrich  is  considered  an  authority  on  horticulture. 
He  has  an  orchard  of  four  thousand  apple  trees,  and  has  planted  over 
six  thousand,  his  oldest  son  having  two  thousand.  He  also  has  a  large 
■\-ariety  of  shade  trees  and  shrubs,  and  he  brought  in  a  large  number  of 
red  cedars  in  1866.  many  thousands  of  which  have  since  been  sold. 
One  season  he  sold  sixteen  carloads  of  apples,  but  the  curculio  pest  has 
nearly  ruined  his  orchard. 

The  young  lady  whom  Mr.  Aldrich  married  while  \vorking  in 
Wisconsin  was  Miss  Martha  Jane  Harshman,  who  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania,  March  i,  1836,  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  and 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  357 

Hannali  (Smalle)')  Harslinian,  the  former  a  native  of  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Greene  county,  that  state.  They  were 
married  in  1826,  the  bride  being  seventeen  and  the  groom  twenty,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  an  infant  son  was 
accidentally  poisoned,  but  all  the  rest  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, and  twelve  were  married.  The  son  William  Henry  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war,  and  died  at  Madison,  AVisconsin,  while  still  in  his 
minority.  The  other  children  are  as  follows:  Catherine,  wife  of  Wheeler 
Barnum,  died  in  1888,  leaving  one  daughter  and  four  sons;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth West,  a  widow,  living  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  had  tweh-e  chil- 
dren and  ten  are  living;  Daniel  Harshman  was  in  the  army  and  is  now 
in  a  soldiers'  home,  and  was  the  father  of  twelve  children ;  Limerick, 
in  Pierce,  Wisconsin,  has  four  children:  Mrs.  Margaret  Dixon,  a  widow'; 
Mrs.  Aldrich  is  the  next  of  the  children;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Eubanks, 
in  Chippewa  county,  Wisconsin,  has  two  children:  John,  in  Pierce 
county,  Wisconsin,  has  three  children;  Hannah,  wife  of  John  Able,  in 
Waseka,  Minnesota,  has  seven  children;  Samuel  McFarlane  Harshman, 
in  Montana,  has  four  children;  Romaine  Amanda  Morrison  (her  second 
husband  Yansey),  has  seven  children;  and  Mrs.  Laura  Matilda  Wilcox, 
deceased,  had  six  children. 

Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Aldrich  lost  two  children  in  infancy,  and  their 
others  are  as  follows:  Karl,  living  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's, 
has  one  daughter,  Elizabeth;  Martha,  widow  of  Campbell  Stoddard, 
has  one  daughter  and  one  son ;  Mary,  wife  of  D.  Gallup,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-nine,  leaving  an  infant  which  is  deceased;  Lina  is  the  wife  of 
Alfred  Butterfield,  a  carpenter,  and  they  live  on  a  farm  near  by,  and  have 
one  daughter  and  two  sons :  Alfred,  lived  in  one  of  the  b.ouses  on  his 
father's  farm,  married  Miss  Cremona  Jackson  Rawley,  from  North 
Carolina,  and  thev  have  two  sons. 


358  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Mr.  Aldricli  was  a  strong  abolitionist,  and  since  then  a  Republican. 
He  served  as  postmaster  for  fourteen  years,  two  years  in  Minnesota 
and  twelve  years  at  Clifton,  but  has  otherwise  been  free  from  the  cares 
of  public  office.  He  is  too  enthusiastic  and  devoted  to  his  agricultural 
and  horticultural  duties  to  be  concerned  with  other  matters,  and  now 
in  his  old  age  his  greatest  joy  is  in  the  beauties  and  comforts  of  the  home 
place  which  he  has  made  by  his  past  efforts.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  farmers'  institute  in  southeastern  Nebraska.  At  his  home 
for  many  years  was  kept  the  Clifton  Library  of  over  seven  hundred 
volumes,  comprising  the  collections  of  about  sixty  families. 


JAMES  W.  HOSFORD. 

James  W.  Hosford,  senior  partner  of  the  well  known  mercantile  firm 
of  Hosford  and  Gagnon  of  Rulo,  has  made  this  town  the  base  and 
center  of  his  business  operations  for  nearly  forty-four  years,  and  has 
the  longest  established^  continuous  business  houses  in  Rulo.  He  began 
this  career  by  itinerant  merchandising  on  the  plains  before  the  advent 
of  railroads,  and  in  this  branch  of  pioneering  has  perhaps  seen  as  many 
varied  experiences  as  any  other  man.  He  is  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
remarkable  self-achie\ement,  and  has  been  going  it  alone  ever  since 
he  was  a  small  boy.  He  has  gained  a  most  creditable  success,  and  his 
place  in  Rulo  is  one  of  honor  and  universal  esteem'. 

He  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  January  24,  1835,  being  a 
descendant  of  an  old  American  family.  His  great-grandfather,  \\'illiam 
Hosford,  was  a  Scotch  highlander,  who  died  at  or  near  Bangor,  Maine, 
an  old  man  and  well  to  do  for  his  day  and  generation.  Grandfather 
William  Hosford  was  born  at  Bangor,  Maine,  in   1767,  ser\-ed  in  the 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  359 

war  of  1812,  and  died  in  Marion  county,  Ohio.  He  wedded  a  Maine 
woman,  and  they  had  five  children:  Horace;  Asa,  who  served  in  his 
state  legislature,  and  died  in  Galion,  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three; 
Eri,  who  was  driver  of  an  old-fashioned  stage  with  four  horses,  and  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  having  reared  a  family  and  amassed  a 
fortune;  Harry,  deceased,  who  was  a  pioneer  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa; 
William  was  a  farmer  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  when 
past  middle  life,  leaving  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Horace  Hosford,  the  father  of  James  W.,  was  born  in  Ontario 
county,  New  York,  in  1796,  and  died  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  in  1861. 
He  farmed  in  Marion  county,  Ohio,  from  1833  to  1838,  and  he  and 
his  brother  Asa  also  built  and  ran  a  flouring  and  saw  mill.  In  1838 
he  sold  out  and  went  to  Shelby,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  was  married  in  1833  to  Charlotte  Wilson,  who 
was  born  in  eastern  Virginia  in  1812,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  she  was 
brought  to  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  by  her  parents.  Charles  and  Anna 
Wilson.  There  were  five  children  born  to  Horace  and  Charlotte  Hos- 
ford:  James  W. ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Harvey  McConnell,  died  at  Liberty, 
N'ebraska,  in  1889,  leaving  all  her  eleven  children :  Amanda,  wife  of  B. 
S.  Chittenden,  lives  at  Winfield,  Kansas,  antl  has  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter; Candace,  wife  of  Edward  Fairbanks,  dietl  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  in  Greencastle,  Indiana,  leaving  no  children ;  and  Clara  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  James  W.  Hosford  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  also  learned 
the  mill  business.  His  schooling  was  in  the  very  primitive  log  schools, 
with  their  rough  seats  and  desks  and  other  uncomfortable  and  pioneer 
furnishings.  He  left  school  at  tlie  age  of  sixteen,  and  when  eighteen 
he  began  teaching,  for  two  terms  near  Shelby,  Ohio,  one  term  in  Miss- 
ouri, and  one  in  Kansas.     He  came  to  Kansas  Citv.  Missouri,  or  rather 


36o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

at  the  site  of  the  present  city,  in  Septemljer,  1858,  and  spent  tlie  follow- 
ing \\inter  in  teaching  there.  He  \\as  at  St.  Ji/iseph  when  the  Hannibal 
and  St.  Joe  Railroad  was  formally  0]3ened,  in  the  spring  of  1S59,  which 
was  made  the  occasion  of  a  great  celebration.  On  INIay  i,  1S60.  he 
left  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  drove  six  yoke  of  oxen  from  that  city 
to  Central  Citv.  Colorado.  He  was  seven  weeks  on  the  trip  out.  and 
there  were  some  twentv-iive  wagons,  thirty  men  and  three  hundred  oxen 
in  the  train.  He  was  engaged  in  freighting  merchandise,  and  got  g-ood 
])ay  and  had  a  good  time.  He  spent  the  summer  of  i860  in  g'old  mining 
and  freighting  in  the  mountains,  and  on  December  i,  1S60,  came  to 
Rulo.  He  and  ^Ir.  Gagnon  formed  a  partnership,  and  fifteen  days 
later  they  left  for  Fort  Laramie,  Wyoming,  with  a  large  co\-ered  wagon 
loaded  with  pork  from  the  old  packing  house  at  \\diite  Cloud,  Kansas. 
They  paid  four  and  a  half  cents  a  pound  for  the  pork  and  sold  it  for  fifty, 
and  during  their  four  weeks'  trip  made  consideral)le  money.  On  their 
return  they  were  delayed  at  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  on  account  of 
the  deep  snow,  and  while  they  were  there  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon. 
On  their  arrival  in  Rulo  they  bought  and  equipped  three  wagons  and 
thirt}--six  yoke  of  oxen,  and  with  loads  of  merchandise  and  provisions 
started  out  for  Fort  Laramie.  \A'hen  five  hundred  miles  out  from  the 
Missouri  they  began  trading,  and  continued  their  (iperations  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  Ijeyond  Laramie,  coming  back  Ijy  wa}'  of  the  present  city 
of  Che}-enne  and  Boulder,  Colorado,  where  they  cnmpleted  their  suc- 
cessful enterprise,  and  thence  reached  Rulo  in  the  fall  of  1861.  In  the 
following  spring  they  freighted  for  the  go\ernment  from  this  place  to 
Fort  Laramie,  and  in  the  summer  of  1863  hauled  merchandise  with  eight 
wagons  from  Xeliraska  City  to  Denver.  In  1S64  they  hauled  machinery 
for  quartz  mills  from  Atchison,  Kansas,  to  Central  City.  Colorado,  and 
on  one  of  the  trips  passed  over  the  road  just  after  the  Indian  hostilities 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  361 

of  August  of  that  year  liad  liroken  out,  uarrowly  escaping  the  devasta- 
tion that  the  redskins  wrouglit  for  many  miles  of  territory.  In  the  fall 
of  1865  they  loaded  tweh-e  wagons  with  corn,  and  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle  started  for  the  Black  Hills  and  Fort  Halleck. 
being  paid  by  the  go\-ernment  nearly  eight  dollars  a  bushel  for  their 
freight,  and  realizing  several  thousand  dollars  frnm  their  trip.  By  the 
fall  of  1866  the  Union  Pacific  was  completed  as  far  as  Kearney,  Ne- 
braska, and  the  days  of  the  prosperous  freighter  were  over,  so  they 
sold  their  cattle  and  ha\e  since  engaged  in  merchandising  at  the  perma- 
nent location  of  Rulo.  In  the  fall  of  1866  they  erected  the  first  store, 
which,  together  with  their  fine  grain  elevator  and  mill,  was  burned  down 
in  the  summer  of  1883,  at  a  loss  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  and  it  was  a 
long'  time  before  they  secured  their  insurance  of  thirteen  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars.  In  1887  tliey  erected  their  present  brick  block,  which 
is  the  largest  and  best  establishment  of  the  kind  in  Rulo,  and  througli- 
out  the  years  their  trade  has  increased  and  prospered  and  augmented 
their  reliability  and  high  standing  in  the  community.  ^Ir.  Hosford  owns 
altogether  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  Richardson  county  land,  in  ten  farms, 
and  also  has  three  tenant  houses  in  addition  to  his  own  large  and  com- 
fortable dwelling,  which  was  one  of  the  early  houses  of  the  town. 

]\Ir.  Hosford  is  a  prominent  Republican,  and  has  been  mayor  of 
Rulo  three  times.  He  is  a  \'eteran  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
1868  he  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Nemaha  Valley,  Lincoln  City  and 
Loop  Fork  Railroad  Company.  It  was  he  who  found  and  buried  the 
body  of  Sam  Gilmore.  of  Platte  count}-,  ?^Iissori,  who  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  in  April,  1864,  and  he  has  been  connected  in  countless  other 
ways  with  pioneer  life  and  days  of  the  Missori  valley. 

He  was  married  in  Rulo,  to  ]\Iiss  Permelia  Mildred  Fasley,  who  was 
born  in   Franklin  county,   ^Missouri,   October  30,    1850,   a  daughter  of 


362  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Edward  A.  and  Susan  Easley,  detailed  mention  of  \\hich  worthy  people 
will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  their  son,  Drury  T.  Easley.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hosford  have  had  five  children :  Lottie  H.,  wife  of  Edward  Nich- 
ols, of  Des  Moines,  Iowa ;  Miss  Mary  Mildred,  who  is  a  competent  and 
successful  stenographer  at  Los  Angeles,  California;  Horace  G.,  a  civil 
engineer  and  engaged  in  surveying  on  the  Des  Moines  and  Missouri 
Railroad:  James  V.,  a  student  in  the  class  of  1904  in  the  Gem  City 
Business  College  at  Ouincy,  Illinois;  and  Xewton  K.,  a  boy  of  fifteen, 
at  home. 


F.   E.  KIMBALL. 

A  well  known  figure  on  the  streets  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  and  a 
man  occupying  a  prominent  place  in  the  business  circles  of  the  city,  is 
F.  E.  Kimball,  proprietor  of  a  laundry  and  livery,  and  a  stock  breeder. 

Mr.  Kimball  was  born  in  the  territory  of  Wisconsin,  in  November, 
1841.  The  name  Kimball  is  of  Scotch  origin,  but  the  family  to  which 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  belongs  has  long  been  resident  of  America, 
the  early  home  having  been  New  England  and  several  generations  of  the 
family  having  been  born  in  New  Hampshire.  Peter  Kimball,  tiie 
great-grandfather  of  F.  E.,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire  and  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  rendered  valiant  serv- 
ice for  the  cause  of  independence.  Joseph  Kimball,  Mr.  Kimball's  grand- 
father, was  a  New  Hampshire  farmer  who  was  called  "Captain."  He 
was  twice  married  and  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  all  by  his  first 
wife.  One  of  Joseph  Kimball's  sons  was  Jesse  ^^'.  Kimball,  born  in 
Sullivan  county.  New  Hampshire,  in   1803. 

Turning  to  the  maternal  ancestry  of  I\lr.  Kimball,  we  find  that  his 
mother  was  before  her  marriage  Miss  Emily  Cotton.     She  was  a  daugh- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  363 

ter  of  Nathaniel  Cotton,  a  descendant  of  John  Cotton,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  Mayflower.  The  Cottons  were  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational clmrch  and  in  the  family  were  several  ministers  of  that  denomi- 
nation. 

Jesse  W.  Kimball  and  his  family  left  their  New  England  home  in 
1840  and  went  to  ^Visconsin,  settling  in  Walworth  township,  Walworth 
county,  where  they  were  pioneers  and  became  leading  citizens.  Later 
they  moved  to  Galesbnrg,  Illinois,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  vears.  His  wife's  death  occurred  in  Lorain,  Ohio,  in  1883,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  Both  are  buried  at  Galesbnrg.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  all  of  whom,  with  one  exception,  grew  to 
adult  age,  viz. :  Rev.  Charles  Cotton  Kimball,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  spent 
many  years  in  eastern  Congregational  pastorate,  and  who  is  now  living- 
retired  in  New  Jersey,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years;  Mrs.  Francis  Ann 
Knight,  widow  of  George  H.  Knight,  who  died'  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
1893;  '^'""^1  F,  E.  Kimball,  whose  name  introduces  this  article. 

F.  E.  Kimball  was  just  emerging  from  his  teens  when  the  trou- 
blous days  of  Civil  war  came  on.  He  was  amiong  the  first  to  leave 
home  and  chase  the  "Jay  Hawkers."  He  was  mustered  into  the  service 
as  a  private  in  a  Kansas  cavalry,  in  September,  1861,  at  Leavenworth, 
and  .shared  the  fortunes  of  his  command  until  the  following  year,  when 
he  was  honorably  discharged.  'Mt.  Kimball  spent  twenty  of  the  best 
years  of  his  life  as  a  locomotive  engineer  on  the  Burlington  Railroad, 
running  between  Galesbnrg  and  Chicago,  with  headquarters  at  the 
former  place.  He  came  from  Galesbnrg  to  Nebraska,  locating  first  in 
Hastings.  In  1891  he  moved  to  Beatrice,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  has  a  pleasant  home  in  Ella  street,  at  No.  813,  and  he  also  owns  his 
livery  and  laundry  buildings.  In  bis  livery  barn  he  keeps  from  forty 
to  fort\--five  head  of  horses,  some  of  them  speedy  and  blooded  and  as 


364  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

fine  stock  as  will  be  found  anywhere  in  the  country.  Three  and  a  half 
miles  east  of  Beatrice  Mr.  Kimball  has  fifty  acres  of  land,  where  he  is 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  fine  hogs. 

Mr.  Kimball  was  married  October  24.  1864,  to  Miss  Emma  L. 
Kimball,  of  Ouincy,  Illinois,  daughter  of  Rev.  Milton  Kimball,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  of  Illinois.  They  have  an  only  child,  Frank  J.  Kim- 
ball, who  is  married  and  living  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  is  pro- 
prietor of  the  Kimball  Laundry.  He  first  engaged  in  the  laundry  busi- 
ness in  Beatrice,  when  a  mere  youth,  and  established  the  business  at 
this  place  that  his  father  now  has  charge  of. 

Mrs.  Kimball  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  faith  in 
which  she  was  reared.  Politically  Mr.  Kimball  is  a  Republican,  always 
taking  a  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs,  but  never  seeking  official 
honors. 


SAMl^EL  A.  KINNEY. 

Samuel  A.  Kinney,  proprietor  of  "Wolf  \'alley  Stock  Farm"  in 
Gage  county,  Nebraska,  is  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Kinney  was  born  in  Richardson  count}',  Nebraska,  January  2,  1861, 
and  is  descended  from  English  ancestry.  His  father,  David  Kinney, 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Champlain,  in  northern 
A'ermont.  he  being  a  son  of  Hammond  Kinney,  whose  father  was  'an 
Englishman  who  came  to  this  country  befure  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
in  that  war  fought  for  the  independence  of  the  American  colonies.  Ham- 
mond Kinney  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years.  His  wife,  iice 
Lucretia  Edson.  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  Their  son  David  grew  up 
in  the  Green  Mountain  state  and  there  learned  the  carpenter's  trade. 
\\'hen  a  young  man  he  came  west,  first  to  Wisconsin,  then  to  Illinois, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  365 

next  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  finally  to  Richardson  county,  Ne- 
braska. Here  he  met  and  married  Miss  Malinda  Stumbo,  a  native  of 
eastern  Ohio,  and  a  member  of  a  German  family,  her  father  being  John 
Stumbo,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Richardson  county.  Mr.  David 
Kinney  built  the  first  mill  in  this  county,  for  his  father-in-law.  He  died 
here  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  He  was  politically  a  Repub- 
lican and  his  religious  creed  was  that  of  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which 
he  was  a  deacon.  His  widow  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Blue 
Springs,  Nebraska.  They  had  a  family  of  six  children,  namely :  Samuel 
A.,  Frank  Edson,  Dora,  Henry  B.,  William  and  Viva. 

Samuel  A.  Kinney  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a  liberal 
schooling  at  White  Cloud  and  Manhattan,  Kansas,  and  was  a  successful 
teacher  for  nine  years  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  Since  leaving  the 
schoolroom  he  has  given  his  whole  attention  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  Wolf  Valley  Farm,  which  comprises  eight  hundred 
acres  and,  he  has  a  good  residence  and  one  of  the  finest  barns  in  Gage 
county.  This  barn  is  seventy-four  by  forty-four  feet  in  dimensions, 
has  a  large  basement  built  of  rock,  with  all  modern  improvements  and 
is  especially  fitted  for  dairy  business,  having  room  for  twenty-five 
cows. 

Mr.  Kinney  was  married  December  25,  1883,  to  Julia  Smead,  who 
was  previous  to  her  marriage  a  popular  and  successful  teacher.  Her 
father,  E.  O.  Smead,  came  to  Nebraska  from  New  York,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Kearney,  this  state.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  Her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Hitchock,  was  born  in  Ohio. 
In  the  Smead  family  were  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Kinney  is  the 
oldest,  the  others  being  Anna,  Arthur,  Eugene,  and  Ah'in.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kinney  have  had  seven  children,  viz. :  Loyette,  Earl  D.,  Edith 
O.,  Guv,  Flovd,  Ruth  and  Glenn.     The  last  named  died  at  the  age  of 


366  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

five  years.     Like  his   father  before  him,   Mr.   Kinney  is  a   RepubHcan 
voter. 


ROSS  \V.  NELSON. 

Occupying  a  representative  position  among  the  leading  and  success- 
ful business  men  of  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  is  Ross  W.  Nelson,  the 
grain  and  coal  dealer  of  Bookwalter. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  September  24, 
1866.  Hugh  Nelson,  his  father,  a  native  of  Ohio,  was  bom  near  Savan- 
nah, July  2,  1830,  and  died  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  June  12,  1900. 
William  Nelson,  the  grandfather,  was  also  an  Ohio  man  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  there  for  many  years.  He  traded  a  forty-acre  farm 
in  that  state  for  three  hundred  acres  of  raAv  prairie  land  in  Van  Buren 
county,  Iowa,  in  1845,  ^"d  this  land  is  still  held  by  members  of  the  family. 
He  lost  two  sons  and  three  daughters  in  childhood,  and  reared  three 
sons:  John,   William  and  Hugh. 

Mr.  Nelson's  mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  She  was  before  her  marriage  Miss  Hannah  Coulter,  and  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1832,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Coulter,  a  farmer  who  came  west  in  1845.  I"  1864  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Hugh  Nelson,  and  their  children  are  Ross  W. 
and  his  two  brothers,  William  E.  and  Clyde  H.,  who  are  engaged  in 
farming  in  Iowa. 

Ross  W.  Nelson  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  had  the  advantage  of  a 
common  school  education  only.  He  remained  a  member  of  the  home 
circle  until  his  twenty-second  year,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming 
with  an  uncle  in  western  Iowa.  He  came  to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska, 
fourteen  years  ago,  in   1889,  ^"d  was  a  wage  worker  on  farms  here 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  367 

for  two  years.  Then  he  married  and  settled  down,  and  witli  the  passing 
years  he  has  met  with  success  and  has  accumulated  a  competency.  Four 
vears  ago  he  bought  the  coal  and  grain  business  of  F.  B.  Felton,  which 
he  has  since  conducted  successfully,  handling  all  kinds  of  grain  and  doing 
and  extensive  business  in  coal.  His  elevator  holds  ten  thousand  bushels 
and  he  handles  on  an  average  one  hundred  and  fifty  carloads  per  year. 
He  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Bookwalter  and  has 
a  pleasant  home  in  town. 

December  30,  1891,  Mr.  Nelson  married  Miss  May  E.  Laird,  daugh- 
ter of  T.  A.  and  Emma  Laird,  who  came  to  Nebraska  from  Henry 
county,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  five  children,  as  follows : 
W'illa,  born  June  17,  1893;  Clyde  A.,  November  24,  1894;  Mary  L, 
February  28,  1897;  Ruby,  March  17,  1899;  and  Thelma  Louise,  March 
9,  1903. 

Politically  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  he  has  never  been 
active  in  politics  he  has  always  taken  a  commendable  interest  in  public 
affairs,  especially  those  in  his  own  locality,  and  he  has  served  efficiently 
ds  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Bookwalter.  He  is  identified  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  in  which  he  has  served  officially,  in  the  former  holding  next 
to  the  highest  office  at  this  writing.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  wdiich  he  is  a  worthy  member. 


DRURY  T.  EASLEY. 

Drury  T.  Easley,  of  Rulo,  is  a  retired  merchant,  and  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Nebraska,  having  come  to  Rulo 
in    1858.     He   has  been  continuously   in  trade   for  the  past   forty-five 


368  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

years  or  until  his  recent  retirement  from  active  duties  in  order  to  enjoy 
a  well  earned  rest.  He  was  one  of  the  few  men  who  went  to  California 
in  the  Eldorado  days  and  returned  with  money  to  reward  his  efforts 
and  exposure  to  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the  gold  coast.  He  arrived 
in  New  York  city  with  over  twelve  thousand  dollars  to  the  good.  He 
had  gone  across  the  plains  and  returned  to  the  States  by  way  of  the 
isthmus.  He  was  the  second  merchant  to  establish  a  business  in  Rulo, 
when  Nebraska  was  yet  a  territory,  and  his  long  career  enabled  him  to 
gain  a  good  competency  besides  doing  well  by  his  family,  and  when  he 
retired  two  years  ago  it  was  with  the  well  wishes  of  all  his  friends  and 
many  associates.  He  has  also  performed  his  share  of  public  and  church 
and  social  obligations,  and  as  a  Democratic  voter  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  he  has  been  a  valued  part  of  the  community  life. 

Mr.  Easley  was  born  in  Halifax  county,  A'irginia,  March  2,  1831. 
His  grandfather,  Drury  Easley,  was  an  otlicer  in  the  Revolution,  and 
was  several  times  wounded  in  the  war.  His  wife  was  a  Miss  Faulkner, 
and  he  was  a  Scotchman  and  she  of  English  lineage.  They  followed 
farming  in  Halifax  county,  Virginia,  where  both  lived  to  good  old  age. 

Edward  A.  Easley,  the  father  of  Drury  T.,  was  born  in  Halifax 
county,  Virignia,  April  4,  1S07.  He  married  Susan  D.  Crowley,  who 
was  born  May  16,  181 1,  and  died  October  30,  1854.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Elizabeth  F..  the  widow  Poindexter, 
of  Forest  City,  Missouri,  was  born  in  Halifax  county,  Virginia,  in  1829; 
Drury  T.  is  next;  William  K.,  born  in  May,  1833;  Susan  Jane,  born 
October  11,  1835:  Martha  Ann,  born  August  25,  1838;  I\Iary,  born 
in  1842,  died  in  1844;  ^^irginia  C,  born  in  1846;  Edwin  A.,  born  Octo- 
ber 31,  1848;  and  MilHe,  born  October  30,  1850. 

Mr.  Drury  T.  Easley  married,  August  12,  i860.  Miss  Marj^  Ann 
Thomas,  -who  was  born  in  Pennsyl\-ania,  June  4,  1838.  the  daughter  of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  369 

a  Baptist  minister.  The  following  children  were  born  of  this  union : 
Fred  Drury,  born  September  8,  1861,  met  a  sad  death  on  the  railroad, 
on  April  20,  1895.;  Susan  Adaline,  born  November  3,  1862,  is  now 
Mrs.  Miles,  wife  of  the  well  known  banker  and  capitalist,  J.  H.  Miles, 
of  Falls  City,  and  has  six  children;  Mary  Mildred,  born  August  12, 
1864,  is  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Hinkle,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Easley  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  Rulo;  he  is  a  college  graduate  and  a  genial  gen- 
tleman and  successful  business  man;  they  have  three  children:  Edith 
Hinkle,  aged  thirteen;  John  Talbot,  aged  ten;  and  Mary  Mildred,  aged 
eight.  Tda  Bell,  born  November  21,  1867,  a  talented  young  lady,  died 
February  8,  1885,  just  after  her  graduation.  Carrie  Alice,  born  July 
14,  1871,  died  July  31,  1884.  Bertha  D.,  born  April  2,  1874,  is  living 
in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  has  one  daughter.  Grace  Edna,  born 
August  23,  1877,  died  September  6,  1877.  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Easley, 
the  mother  of  this  family,  died  in  Falls  City,  September  29,  1902. 


LEWIS  HARVLIN  MORRIS. 

Lewis  Harvlin  Morris,  now  living  retired  in  Auburn,  Nemaha 
county,  is  one  of  the  old-time  residents  of  southeastern  Nebraska,  and 
has  been  successful  in  everything  he  has  undertaken.  He  was  a  farmer 
in  this  county  for  many  years,  but  has  been  retired  since  1900,  and 
now  gives  his  attention  mainly  to  caring  for  the  property  which  he 
lias  gained  by  many  years  of  diligent  labor  and  careful  business  man- 
agement. While  not  a  young  man  in  years,  he  is  one  of  those  peren- 
nially youthful  spirits  whom  age  never  touches  but  lightly,  and  who  are 
able  to  bear  with  joy  life's  burdens  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Morris  can  just  remember  his  grandfather  Morris,  who  was 


370  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

sheriff,  and  who  married  a  Miss  I-incohi,  a  relative  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. His  father,  HarvHn  Morris,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  was 
a  shoemaker  bv  trade,  following  farming-  later  in  life.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Clarissa  Bullard  in  Utica,  New  York,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Bullard,  a  farmer  and  carpenter.  These  parents  lived  in  Depeyster. 
St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  for  some  years,  and  then  moved  to 
Gouverneur,  where  the  father  rented  and  also  owned  a  small  place. 
They  had  the  following  children:  Lovell  died  at  the  age  of  one  year; 
Adaline  Amanda,  the  wife  of  Cephas  Smith,  died  in  St.  Lawrence  county 
at  the  age  of  seventy,  without  children ;  Volney  died  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty, August  13,  1894,  leaving  a  son,  Bower  J- :  Jonathan  B.,  a  widower 
with  one  son,  lives  in  North  Wilmington,  Massachusetts,  and  is  in 
business  in  Boston;  M.  Duane  died  in  Gouverneur  about  1890,  leaving 
a  wife  and  one  daughter;  Franklin  Willard  is  a  retired  miller  in  Gouv- 
erneur. and  has  two  daughters;  Frances,  wdio  is  a  twin  of  the  preceding, 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  in  New  York;  Orville  O.  is  a  miller  in 
Peoria,  Illinois,  and  has  a  wife  and  three  children. 

Lewis  Harvlin  Morris,  who  completes  the  above  family,  was  born 
at  Depeyster,  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  April  28,  1837,  and  was 
reared  there  and  at  Gouverneur  in  the  same  county.  He  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  shoemaking  and  harness-making,  and  followed  this 
business  at  Gouverneur  for  some  time.  He  lived  there  eight  years 
after  his  marriage,  and  he  came  to  Nemaha  county,  Nebraska,  in  1868, 
settling  on  the  eighty  acres  which  his  brother  Frank  had  located  two 
years  before,  and  some  time  later  he  bought  this  land.  He  lived  on 
this  farrrt  and  prospered  until  the  spring  of  1900,  when  he  sold  it  for 
fifty  dollars  an  acre,  and  moved  into  his  nice  home  in  Auburn.  He  has 
also  sold  two  other  places  in  this  county  and  a  half  section  in  Chase 
county.     He  owns  two  tenant  houses  in  Auburn  and  some  village  lots. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  371 

July  3,  i860,  Mr.  Morris  was  married  in  South  Edwards,  New 
York,  to  Miss  Calista  Sheldon,  who  was  born  in  Otsego,  Micliigan, 
March  19,  1841,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Betsey  (Bottsford)  Sheldon, 
the  former  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  in  1814,  and  tlie 
latter  in  1817,  and  they  were  married  in  1838.  Mrs.  Morris's  mother 
died  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  three  children :  Charles,  in  Ventura, 
California,  has  two  sons  and  two  daughters ;  Mrs.  Morris ;  and  George 
B.,  who  died  in  Pennsylvania  at  the  age  of  forty-four,  having  been  born 
in  1846,  and  leaving  three  children.  Mr.  Sheldon  was  afterward  mar- 
ried to  Martha  Aldoes,  by  whom  he  had  five  children:  Julia  is  the  wife 
of  Judge  Neary,  in  Gouverneur ;  Theodore  is  a  superannuated  express 
agent  in  the  hospital  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  the  ward  of  the  United  States 
Express  Company,  and  he  has  a  wife;  Arthur  is  a  widower  with  one 
son,  in  Carthage,  New  York ;  Emma  is  a  professional  nurse  in  New 
York  city;  and  James  is  cashier  of  a  bank  in  Gouverneur,  and  has  a 
wife  and  one  child  living.  Mr.  Sheldon  died  in  Gouverneur  at  the  age 
of  fifty-five  years. 

Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris.  Dora  Ada- 
line,  born  in  Gouverneur  in  1861,  died  there  at  the  age  of  seven; 
Walter  L.  is  in  the  state  of  Washington,  and  has  a  wife  and  three 
children,  one  of  the  sons,  aged  sixteen,  being  here  with  his  grandfather; 
William  F.  died  when  thirteen  months  old,  in  New  York ;  Merrit  Duane 
is  single  and  in  California ;  Ida  is  the  wife  of  George  B.  Skeen,  of 
Medford,  Oklahoma,  and  has  three  daughters  and  one  son ;  Fred  Henry 
lives  in  Nebraska  City,  and  has  a  wife  and  three  children;  Franke  is 
the  wife  of  William  Coons,  at  Custer  City,  Oklahoma,  and  has  one 
daughter;  Katie  is  the  wife  of  William  Hacker,  a  farmer  in  Nemaha 
precinct,  and  has  two  daughters;  the  ninth  child,  a  daughter,  died  in 
infancy  in  Nebraska.     Mr.  Morris  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has 


372  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

served  as  a  school  director.  He  has  ahvays  been  a  good  horseman, 
both  in  riding  and  driving,  and  knows  and  loves  a  fine  steed,  taking 
keen  delight  in  this  mode  of  recreation. 


WILLIAM  \\\  JONES. 

William  W .  Jones,  near  Rulo,  Richardson  county,  is  a  pioneer  of 
the  pioneers,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  the  most  distinguished  old  couple 
in  this  part  of  Nebraska.  It  is  remarkable  that  their  lives  have  run 
side  by  side  for  seventy-three  years,  under  the  lowering  skies  as  well 
as  the  sunshine  of  life,  from  that  memorable  day  when  they  set  forth  on 
life's  journey  together  until  for  a  number  of  years  they  have  been 
descending  the  afterslope  and  are  nearing  the  end  of  the  world's  Course. 
It  is  the  hope  of  all  their  many  friends  that  they  may  be  living  two  years 
hence  to  celebrate  that  most  uncommon  of  festivals,  the  Diamond  wed- 
ding, which  would  be  a  most  happy  culmination  to  a  career  of  usefulness 
and  happy  and  true  love.  In  such  lives  as  those  of  "Uncle  Billy  Jones" 
and  his  wife  is  found  a  reminder  of  the  real  youth  of  American  institu- 
tions and  history.  When  they  came  into  the  world  the  republic  had 
hardly  been  firmly  established,  and  there  were  heartl  the  mutterings  of 
the  second  cunflict  with  Great  Britain,  by  which  independence  was 
finally  asserted  and  proved.  They  hatl  ])assed  the  third  of  a  century 
mark  when  the  Mexican  war  came  on,  and  had  reached  the  full  mean 
of  life  when  the  Ci\il  war  marked  the  last  great  conflict  on  American 
soil.  .Vnd  after  viewing  the  varied  events  of  the  wonderful  nineteenth 
century  in  almost  their  entirety,  they  are  ushered  into  the  still  more 
glorious  twentieth,  which  is  as  far  removed  in  material  development 
and  means  of  civilization  from  the  earlier  decades  of  their  existence  as 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  373 

liglit  from  darkness.  It  is  furtlier  wortliy  of  comment  that  the  last 
years  of  their  lives  are  being  spent  in  a  country  that,  when  they  were 
children,  had  never  been  seen  by  any  white  men  except  the  very  fore- 
most pathfinders,  hunters  and  explorers.  There  is  no  better  known  char- 
acter in  Richardson  county  than  "Uncle  Billy  Jones,"  who  is  himself 
a  typical  frontiersman,  and  for  many  years  kept  well  on  the  outer 
edge  of  the  advancing  wave  of  civilization,  until  it  reached  the  beautiful 
countr}-  (jf  southeastern  Nebraska,  where  he  has  been  content  to  remain 
until  the  final  summons  to  join  the  "Choir  Invisible." 

William  W.  Jones  was  born  in  Tazewell  count}',  Virginia,  Septem- 
ber 6,  1S12,  and  his  wife,  Rebecca  Morris,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
January  28,  18 10.  H-e  was  taken  to  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  at  the  age 
of  three  years,  and  they  were  married  on  August  18,  1831,  after  which 
they  began  farming  in  Jackson  county,  and  continued  there  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  He  then  came  west  to  Fulton  county,  Illinois, 
being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  place.  He  took  a  claim  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  after  improving  and  cultivating  it  for  six  years 
moved  still  further  west  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  He  and  some  twenty 
other  settlers  made  large  claims  where  Iowa  City  is  now  located,  but 
were  unable  to  hold  all  their  land.  Mr.  Jones  impro\-ed  a  good  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  lived  there  until  1854,  when  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  On  March  10,  1855,  he  arrived  in 
Dakota  county,  Nebraska,  from  Council  Bluffs;  two  years  later  he 
spent  a  summer  in  Leavenworth  county,  Kansas;  during  the  following 
winter  was  at  Dallas,  Texas;  returned  to  and  lived  in  Leavenworth 
county  for  two  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1861  came  to  Falls  City, 
Nebraska,  where  he  rented  a  farm  of  Bob  Whitecloud,  two  miles  west 
of  town.  He  bought  a  half  section  near  here,  paying  at  the  rate  of 
two  dollars  and  a  half  an  acre  and  making  the  payments  in  horses.     On 


374  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

May  lo,  1863,  he  and  his  family,  together  with  five  other  prairie 
schooners,  started  across  the  plains  for  Portland,  Oregon.  On  arriving 
in  that  now  populous  city  there  were  fifty-five  wagons  and  many  settlers 
located.  In  October,  1865,  he  and  his  wife  and  three  little  sons  started 
back  to  Nebraska,  with  ten  horses,  and  were  one  hundred  and  twelve 
davs  en  route  to  Omaha,  where  they  spent  the  winter,  and  then  returned 
to  the  half  section.  Here  they  continued  their  toils  during  the  reiuainder 
of  their  active  careers,  and  they  still  live  in  a  cottage  on  one  hundred 
and  sixtv  acres  of  the  land  which  they  settled  nearly  forty-five  years 
ago.  The  farm  is  owned  by  their  son,  whose  residence  is  close  to 
theirs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  had  nine  children,  as  follows:  Phebe  Ellen 
Swartz,  who  died  in  Atchison,  Kansas,  and  left  three  children;  Charles 
A.,  who  died  on  the  home  place,  March  6,  1892.  leaving  one  son  and 
two  daughters:  William  H.  Harrison,  who  when  last  heard  of  was  in 
Texas,  and  unmarried;  Cass:  Lydia  Margaret  ^McCartney,  who  died  in 
Oklahoma,  leaving  three  children ;  Rachael  Gardner,  who  died  in  Leav- 
enworth, leaving  one  child ;  Louisa  Renneck,  who  died  in  Leavenworth, 
leaving  one  child ;  Lewis,  who  owns  the  home  farm  as  mentioned  above 
and  has  three  children;  and  Stephen  B.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma 
and  has  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  his  voting  years  extend  back 
a  number  of  campaigns  before  the  formation  of  the  RepiTblican  party. 
He  has  held  no  office  except  in  connection  with  school  affairs.  He 
belongs  to  no  society  or  creed,  and  is  a  free  man  in  every  sense  of  the 
word. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  375 

APPOLLAS  H.  MILLAR. 

The  industrial  interests  of  tlie  prospen.ius  town  of  Auburn,  Ne- 
braska, have  a  strong-  factor  in  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Appollas  H. 
Millar,  a  caqienter,  contractor  and  builder.  Mr.  ^lillar  has  done  a 
large  amount  of  Ixiilding  here  and  elsewhere  and  during  the  busy  season 
employs  a  dozen  or  more  men.  The  Tom  Bath  mansion,  one  of  the 
recently  constructed  houses  in  Auburn,  shows  something  of  the  char- 
acter  of   his   work. 

Mr.  Millar  was  born  at  Ray  Center,  near  Detroit,  Michigan,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1866,  and  may  be  said  to  belong  to  a  family  of  contractors  and 
builders,  two.  of  his  brothers  and  his  father,  Lesley  L.  Millar,  having 
followed  this  occupation.  Lesley  L.  Millar  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1832, 
and  in  boyhood  went  to  Michigan,  where  he  \\as  reared  and  where  he 
has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  is  now  living  retired  at 
Washington,  Michigan.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  band 
master  in  the  Fourth  Michigan  Cavalry.  He  enlisted  in  1861  and 
served  all  through  the  war,  as  a  musician,  it  Iseing  his  band  that  played 
the  music  when  Jefferson  Da\is  was  captured.  Lesley  L.  ■Millar  has 
been  twice  married.  His  first  w^ife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Adalaine 
Hazelton,  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  three  sons,  namely :  Theron 
W.  Millar,  who  is  now  married  and  a  resident  of  Detroit,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building;  Allison  R.  Millar,  also  a  con- 
tractor and  builder,  is  married,  has  one  son  and  three  daughters,  and 
lives  in  Bay  City,  Michigan ;  and  Ralph  C.  Millar,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty  years,  leaving  a  widow.  For  his  second  wife  the  father 
married  Vandalie  Risk,  who  bore  him  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
as  follows :  Appollas,  whose  name  graces  this  sketch ;  Elizabeth  A.,  wdio 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years ;  Lewis  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years;  Minnie  M.,  a  resident  of  Detroit,  ^Michigan :  Arthur, 


376  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

in  tlie  employ  of  tlie  Grand  Union  Tea  Company,  in  Detroit ;  and  Thomas 
C,  also  of  Detroit,  is  an  employe  of  the  Grand  Union  Tea  Company. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  following  his  twelfth  birthday,  Appollas 
H.  Millar  began  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  nnder  his  father's  instruc- 
tions, and  worked  for  him  until  he  was  nineteen.  Then  he  went  to 
Bay  City  and  entered  the  employ  of  his  brothers,  with  whom  he  remained 
five  years.  Mr.  Millar  went  to  Chicago  in  1890  and  followed  his  trade 
there  until  1898.  In  1900  he  located  in  Auburn,  Nebraska,  where  he 
bought  a  place  and  has  since  remained. 

Mr.  Millar  was  married,  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  in  1900,  to  Mrs. 
Fannie  Cook,  widow  of  Henry  Cook,  deceased,  and  daughter  of  David 
and  Rhoda  (Wood)   Hamlin,  natives  of  Oswego  county.  New  York. 

Mr.  Millar  is  identified  with  the  IModern  Woodmen  and,  politically, 
is  a  "Bryanite."     Mrs.  Millar  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


ELISHA  HUFFMAN. 

Elisha  Huffman  is  the  oldest  citizen  of  Rulo,  Richardson  county, 
and,  indeed,  of  southeastern  Nebraska.  His  age  is  more  easily  compre- 
hended when  it  is  stated  that  he  was  born  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  that  he  has  been  able  to  vote  at  all 
presidential  elections  from  John  O.  Adams  down  to  the  present;  that 
he  was  a  grown  man  and  enlisted  for  the  Black  Hawk  war,  that  he  was 
a  man  past  the  prime  of  life  when  the  Civil  war  opened:  and  that 
he  began  life  about  the  time  of  the  first  steamboat,  was  a  boy  when 
railroads  were  first  successfully  operated,  had  lived  a  third  of  a  century 
when  the  telegraph  was  invented,  and  has  really  been  an  old  man 
in  point  of  years  throughout  the  wonderful  electrical  age  of  the  present. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  m 

Such  a  life,  especially  when  filled  from  earliest  years  to  the  present  with 
useful  and  busy  activity,  is  \-enerable  and  worthy  of  the  highest  honor, 
and  in  such  estimation  is  Mr.  Huffman  held  by  all  the  citizens  of  Rulo. 
He  was  born  twenty-fi\e  miles  west  of  Pittsburg.  Pennsylvania, 
on  January  7,  181 1,  being  the  first  of  nine  children.  His  first  years 
were  begun  in  humble  circumstances,  and  at  the  age  of  six,  before  he 
had  acquired  any  school  training,  he  was  bound  out  to  a  widow,  with 
whom  he  remained  seven  years,  until  she  broke  up  housekeeping.  At 
a  place  four  miles  south  of  Pittsburg  he  learned  the  wagon-maker'.s 
trade,  and  when  he  had  leisure  hours  his  chum  taught  him  the  rudiments 
of  reading  and  writing.  About  1832  he  volunteered  to  fight  Black 
Hawk,  but  his  services  were  not  needed.  He  went  to  Ohio,  where  he 
was  married  in  1835,  a"d  in  1845  '^^  left  Knox  county  of  that  state 
and  settled  at  Savannah,  Andrew  county,  [Missouri.  In  1856  he  went 
to  Brown  county,  Kansas,  where  he  had  a  claim,  wdiich  he  later  sold. 
In  1863  he  came  to  Rulo,  Nebraska,  and  made  his  home  on  the  same 
plot  of  ground  wdiere  he  still  lives.  He  had  spent  the  winter  of  1855- 
.  56  in  Salem,  Nebraska.  He  ow-ns  five  acres  at  his  present  home,  and 
has  a  comfortable  though  not  pretentious  place  in  which  to  pass  his 
remaining  years.  He  has  never  sought  riches,  but  has  done  his  duty 
and  fulfilled  all  his  obligations  to  his  fellow  men,  so  that  the  end  of  his 
life  is  peace  and  contentment.  He  owns  five  lots  in  town.  He  grows 
grapes  on  a  hundred  vines,  has  a  nice  orchard  which  had  been  set  out 
before  he  settled  on  the  place,  and  his  little  home  is  surrounded  with 
fruit  trees.  In  his  palmy  days  he  used  to  make  high  wages,  but  he  did 
not  care  to  lay  his  money  by,  and  has  always  been  liberal  and  generous 
in  all  his  relations.  He  has  in  his  possession  a  bureau  that  he  made  in 
1838,  o\-er  sixty-five  years  old.  He  has  been  a  champion  shot  with  a 
gun,  and  has  bested  many  an  opponent.     He  is  a  devout  member  of  the 


378  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Holiness  cluuxli,  which  seems  to  him  to  open  the  true  patli  to  Hea\-en, 
and  he  lias  abided  by  its  doctrines  and  been  zealous  in  its  good  work 
for  many  years  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Huffman  was  a  Whig  during  the  first  years  of  his  political 
activity,  and  since  the  organization  of  the  party  has  been  a  stanch 
Republican.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  was  a  constable  in  Ohio  and 
Kansas,  and  for  twelve  years  was  constable  and  marshall  in  Rulo.   ' 

He  was  married  in  Ohio,  April  20,  1835,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Hender- 
son, who  died  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years.  There  were  seven 
children  of  this  marriage:  Jacob,  who  died  in  infancy;  Samuel  was  in 
the  Civil  war;  a  daughter  that  died  in  infancy;  Anna,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Louisa,  who  died  in  Kansas  leaving  three  children;  Mary, 
wife  of  Langdon  Jackson,  at  her  father's  home  in  Rulo,  has  three  child- 
ren, by  her  first  marriage,  Sherman  Alexander  and  Hattie,  the  mother 
of  three  children  by  her  deceased  husband  Cyrus  Wetzel,  and  by  her 
second  marriage,  Florence  Jackson;  Hepsibeth  Huffman,  the  seventh 
child,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 


JOHN  HOSSACK. 

John  Hossack,  now  serving  in  his  third  term  as  sheriff  of  Richard- 
son county,  has  held  this  county  his  home  and  center  of  activity  for 
forty-five  years,  since  he  was  a  boy  of  seven  years.  He  knew  this 
section  of  the  state  in  the  pioneer  days,  and  he  and  the  country  grew 
up  and  developed  together.  He  has  followed  farming  most  of  his  life, 
and  during  his  incumbency  in  his  present  office  he  has  given  unusual 
satisfaction  to  the  citizens,  as  is  evidenced  by  his  two  re-elections.  He 
is  a  popular  and  genial  man,  and  is  well  worthy  of  the  esteem  and  honor 
accorded  him  bv  his  friends  and  constituents. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  379 

Mr.  Hossack  was  born  in  ^^'illiams  county,  Ohio,  November  3, 
1852,  and  several  moves  took  place  before  he  finally  arrived  in  this 
state.  At  the  age  of  three  he  was  taken  to  Illinois,  and  in  1857  'o 
Black  Hawk  county,  Iowa,  and  on  June  3,  185Q,  arrived  with  the 
rest  of  the  family  on  the  "half-breed"  tract  in  Richardson  county.  His 
grandfather  was  a  Scotch  farmer,  and  lived  and  died  in  his  native  land, 
and  Ytry  little  is  known  of  the  family  history.  Mr.  Hossack's  father 
was  Alexander  Hossack,  who  was  born  near  Inverness.  Scotland,  in 
1804,  and  died  in  JefYerson  precinct,  Richardson  county,  October  3, 
1S64.  He  was  married  in  Scotland  to  Miss  Janette  McNeechen,  who 
was  born  about  181 5,  and  died  in  1855.  Thej'  had  seven  children,  and 
reared  but  four  of  them..  One  of  the  deceased  children  was  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  L.  F.  Hitchcock,  of  Richardson  county,  and  she  left  two  chil- 
dren. The  living  children  are  Margery,  the  widow  Grant,  of  Preston, 
Nebraska,  and  has  a  family  of  nine  children ;  Anna,  the  wife  of  John 
Freel,  of  Jackson  county,  Kansas,  and  his  six  children ;  and  John.  The 
parents  came  from  Scotland  shortly  after  their  marriage,  being  six 
weeks  on  the  sailing  vessel,  and  they  began  life  without  money  and 
gained  their  livelihood  by  their  industry  and  persevering  toil. 

Sheriff  Hossack  passed  his  youth  in  pioneer  communities,  so  that 
his  education  was  meager  and  acquired  in  the  primitive  old  schoolhouse 
and  methods.  He  has  in  his  possession  a  card  written  by  his  teacher 
and  given  him  as  a  reward  of  merit  when  he  was  eleven  years  old.  He 
still  cherishes  highly  both  the  memento  and  the  memory  of  the  giver. 
The  card  is  inscribed  as  follows:  "Aug.  21,  i86j.  From  Mrs.  E.  C. 
Mosse,  presented  to  John  Hossack  for  good  attention  to  his  books  in 
school.  You  must  be  a  good  boy  and  learn  your  books.  Forget  me 
not."  As  his  father  died  when  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  soon  began 
doing  for  himself,  and  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  ever  since. 


38o  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

His  first  work  was  driving  five  yoke  of  oxen  to  a  breaking  plow,  at  the 
wage  of  four  dollars  a  month.  He  also  worked  at  home.  His  father  had 
bought,  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  but  the  family  was  compelled  to  pay  a 
second  price  for  it  owing  to  a  defective  title.  He  continued  farming 
until  1898,  and  in  that  year  went  to  Alaska  in  search  of  gold.  He 
was  taken  sick  after  arriving  in  the  gold  fields,  was  in  a  canvas  tent 
surrounded  by  the  snow  for  two  weeks,  and  was  then  put  on  a  hand- 
sled  and  hauled  to  a  vessel,  on  which  he  was  shipped  to  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, finally  reaching  home  without  a  cent.  In  the  following  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  sheriff  of  Richardson  county,  and  is  now 
in  his  third  term  and  fifth  year  of  a  most  successful  official  service. 

Mr.  Hossack  was  married  December  28,  1874,  to  Miss  Mary  Sin- 
clair, who  was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1853,  August  10,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Jane  (Ladd)  Sinclair,  of  Scotch  lineage.  Her  parents 
moved  to  Illinois  at  an  early  day,  and  in  1868  came  to  Richardson 
county  where  her  father  pursued  his  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  had 
learned  in  Scotland.  JNIrs.  Hossack  is  one  of  eight  children,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  married  and  most  of  whom  have 
children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hossack  have  had  nine  children :  William, 
born  on  the  farm  in  1876,  is  a  bridge-building  boss  in  Iowa,  and  un- 
married; James,  born  in  1878,  works  with  a  liridge  gang  in  Kansas; 
Janette,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  was  a  graduate  of  the 
Verdon  high  school,  had  been  a  most  successful  teacher  for  two  years, 
and  her  death  was  all  the  sadder  because  of  the  fact  that  she  was  to  have 
been  wedded  within  a  few  days;  Elizabeth  is  a  bright  young  school 
teacher  in  this  county;  Isabelle,  a  graduate  of  the  Verdon  schools,  is 
a  compositor  on  the  Falls  City  Tribune;  Pearl  May  is  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Sloan,  of  Verdon,  and  has  one  baby  boy;  Ouinby  John  is  a  young 
man   of  eighteen,   and   graduates   from  the   Falls   City   high   school   in 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  381 

1904;  and  George  P.  and  Xellie,  tlie  two  youngest,  are  both  in  scliool. 
Mr.  Hossack  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  ^^'■orkmen. 
and  in  politics  is  a  stanch  RepubHcan. 


JAMES  N.  PORTERFIELD. 

James  N.  Porterfield,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  respected  citizens 
of  Liberty  township,  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  died  March  26. 
1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 

]\'Ir.  Porterfield  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  son  of  James 
and  Mary  (Cavender)  Porterfield,  and  one  of  a  family  of  sixteen 
children,  of  whom  twelve  reached  adult  age — eight  sons  and  four 
daughters.  The  eight  sons  all  volunteered  for  service  in  the  army 
during  the  Civil  war,  made  good  records  in  the  Union  cause,  and  all 
returned  home.  On  one  occasion  the  youngest  son  narrowly  escaped 
death,  a  bullet  passing  through  his  mouth,  taking  out  his  front  teeth, 
and  afterward  being  removed  from  his  neck.  The  father  of  this  large 
family  died  in  Ohio,  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  The 
mother  sur\-ived  him  some  four  years  and  her  death  occurred  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

James  N.  Porterfield  was  reared  in  Ohio  and  in  early  life  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith.  In  September,  1853,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  he  was  married  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Catharine  A. 
Tracey,  and  the  following  year  they  moved  west  to  Richland,  Keokuk 
county,  L:)wa,  where  he  was  employed  as  blacksmith  in  a  carriage 
factory.  When  the  Indian  reserve  was  opaied  up  for  settlement, 
about  1885,  he  came  to  the  place  where  his  widow  now  resides  and 
located  on  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  cost  him  seven  dollars  per  acre. 


382  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Here  he  developed  a  farm,  passed  tlie  rest  of  his  life  and  died,  his 
death  occurring  in  1895,  ^s  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch. 

"Mrs.  Catliarine  A.  (Tracey)  Porteriield  was  born  December  23, 
1833,  and  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  Levi  Tracey,  her  father,  was  born  in 
Maryland.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  was  employed  in  Baltimore 
for  some  years,  and  was  regarded  as  a  fine  workman.  In  early  life 
he  went  to  Ohio  and  there  met  and  married  Maria  Holt,  daughter  of 
one  of  the  wealthy  pioneers  of  that  state,  who  had  large  land  holdings. 
To  each  of  his  children  Mr.  Holt  gave  a  farm  and  what  was  termed  in 
those  days  a  "fitting  out."  He  may  be  said  to  have  been  generous  to  a 
fault,  for  while  he  was  at  one  time  a  very  wealthy  man.  he  gave  away 
and  lost  much  of  his  "property  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  in 
only  moderate  circumstances.  Levi  and  Maria  Tracey  became  the 
parents  of  fifteen  children,  of  whom  seven  sons  and  three  daughters 
grew  to  maturity  and  are  still  living,  namely :  Jacob,  David,  John,  Levi, 
Isaac,  Everett  and  Ayers,  and  Nancy,  widow  of  Samuel  Mosler,  Mrs. 
Porterfield,  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Hiram  Gentell. 

Sons  and  daughters  to  the  number  of  eleven  were  given  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Porterfield.  Four  died  in  infancy,  and  Isaac  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty  years.  Alice  is  the  wife  of  Martin  Heffelinger  of  Brighton, 
Iowa;  Laura  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  Hattie  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen;  Nettie  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Burgett,  and  the  youngest 
daughter  is  Sadie  Doyle. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  3S3 

HON.  JOSEPH.  M.  CRAVENS. 

Hon.  Joseph  M.  Cravens,  of  Armour,  Nebraska,  member  of  the 
state  legislature  and  otherwise  prominent  in  business  and  public  rela- 
tions, was  born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  March  19,  1855,  and  is  the 
son  of  Isaac  and  Mary  J.  (Stcickwell)  Cravens,  the  former  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  a  farmer  and  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  church, 
and  the  latter  a  native  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Cravens  has  three  brothers 
living.  David  B.,  who  lives  in  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  was  a  private 
in  Company  I,  Twenty-first  [Missouri  X'uluntecr  Infantry,  enlisting  June 
18,  1861,  at  Memphis,  Missouri,  and  mustered  out  December  5,  1864, 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee;  he  participated  in  the  battles  at  Shiloh,  Corinth, 
luka,  Pleasant  Hill,  Nashville,  Fort  Blakely,  and  many  others.  William 
T.  is  of  'KInox  county,  Illinois,  and  Wesley  F.  is  also  of  Kno.x  county. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  in  which  Mr.  Cravens  was  born  his  parents 
moved  to  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  where  they  remained  till  1861, 
and  then  removed  to  Henry  county,  Illinois,  and  from  there  to  Kno.x 
county,  in  the  same  state,  in  1864.  Joseph  lived  at  home  and  attended 
the  common  schools  until  1872.  In  December  of  that  year  his  mothef 
died,  and  the  home  was  broken  up.  He,  being  the  youngest  child  and 
the  only  one  at  home,  went  to  work  for  a  neighbor  during  the  summer. 
and  during  the  following  three  winters  did  chores  for  his  board  and 
went  to  schcx)l.  In  August,  1875,  in  company  with  a  neighbor  boy,  he 
bought  a  small  grocery  in  Gilson,  Knox  county,  Illinois,  and  under  the 
firm  name  of  Lawrence  and  Cravens  conducted  it  for  three  years.  In 
1878  he  sold  out  and,  with  Henry  Linn,  bought  a  drug  stock,  which  they 
conducted  under  the  name  of  Cravens  and  Linn  until  1879,  when  Mr. 
Cravens  sold  to  his  partner. 

In    1882   Mr.   Cravens,   with  his  wife  and  baby,  came  by  wagon 


384         SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

to  the  west ;  the  first  stop  was  near  the  state  line  south  of  Falls  City, 
Nebraska,  where  he  lived  for  two  years,  then  moved  to  a  new  farm 
near  Barnes,  Washington  county,  Kansas,  in  the  spring  of  1885.  Farm- 
ing was  his  occupation  for  the  next  five  years,  but  from  1890  to  1893 
he  clerked  in  a  store  in  Barnes.  In  April.  1893,  he  took  up  his  per- 
manent location  in  Armour.  Nebraska,  and  started  a  general  merchandise 
store.  In  1895  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  the  present  town  of  Armour 
is  located,  and  platted  the  townsite,  so  that  he  is  in  large  measure 
founder  and  promoter  of  Armour's  prosperity.  In  the  spring  of  1897 
he  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  office  he  retained  until  he  was 
elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1902,  when  he  resigned. 

Mr.  Cravens  is  a  self-made  man.  When  his  home  was  broken  up  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  given  a  one-dollar  bill  as  capital  for  his 
start  in  life,  and  by  economy,  industry  and  careful  attention  to  business,- 
he  has  gained  a  comfortable  place  in  life,  with  a  good  home  and  business, 
and  with  the  respect  and  regard  of  associates  and  friends. 

Air.  Cravens  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Hayes  in  1876, 
and  has  been  a  consistent  Republican  since  that  time.  He  held  the  office 
of  town  clerk  in  Haw  Creek  township,  Knox  county,  in  1879,  and  tax 
collector  in  1880.  He  has  never  sought  ofiice,  and  has  only  done  his 
duty  as  a  private  citizen  and  Republican  partisan,  his  recent  election  to 
the  legislative  body  coming  more  in  recognition  of  his  worth  and  sub- 
stantiality than  as  a  political  worker. 

October  26,  1891,  he  became  a  charter  member  of  Guardian  Camp, 
M.  W.  A.,  at  Barnes,  and  served  as  banker  until  he  removed  to  Nebraska 
in  1893.  March  2,  1896,  he  joined  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men at  Armour,  and  was  financier  six  years.  In  March,  1875,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Orange  Chapel,  Knox 
county,   Illinois,  and  in  the  different  parts  of  the  country  in  which  lie 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  385 

has  made  liis  home  has  served  the  church  as  steward,  trustee,  recording 
steward,  and  for  ten  years  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  schooL 

Mr.  Cravens  was  married  near  Gilson,  Knox  county,  lUinois, 
December  5,  1878,  to  Miss  Hattie  L.  Smith,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Knox  county,  Ilhnois,  and  spent  one  year  in  Abingdon  College,  that 
county.  Her  father,  H.  W.  Smith,  served  in  Company  F,  Fifty-seventh 
Illinois  Infantry,  Fourth  Division,  Fifteenth  Corps,  under  Logan.  The 
children  born  of  this  marriage  were  as  follows :  Raymond  R.,  born  in 
Gilson,  Illinois,  August  13,  1880,  and  is  still  at  home  with  his  parents, 
being  postmaster  of  Armour ;  Ora  Edith,  born  in  Richardson  county, 
Nebraska,  September  7,  1884,  died  of  membraneous  croup  in  Wasliing- 
ton  county,  Kansas,  December  15,  1887;  Edna  Pearl,  born  August  15, 
1887,  in  Washington  county,  Kansas,  is  still  at  home. 


JACOB  W.  MOORE. 

Jacob  W.  Moore,  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful  early  settlers 
of  Pawnee  county  and  pioneers  of  Clay  township,  an  ex-soldier  of  the 
Civil  war,  came  to  Nebraska  in  1865.  He  was  born  in  Summit  town- 
ship, Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  9,  1839,  of  ancestry  noted 
for  integrity  and  industry.  His  father  was  John  Moore,  a  soldier  of 
the  war  of  1812,  was  also  born  in  Erie  comity,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
Moore,  who  was  born  in  Argyleshire,  Scotland.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Catherine  Steinbrook,  who  was  born  in  Berlin,  Germany, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Jacob  Steinbrook,  who  came  to  Pennsylvania 
when  she  was  a  child.  A  family  of  seventeen  children  were  born  to 
John  and  Catherine  Moore,  namely:  Isaac,  Adam,  Andrew,  Mary  Ann, 


386  SCJJTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

Augustus,  Sarah  J.,  Samuel,  Jacob  \V.,  David  C,  James  K.,  John  W., 
Elizabeth,  and  the  otliers  died  in  childhood. 

Of  the  above  family,  Samuel  resides  in  this  county  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sixteenth  Pennsyh-ania  Cavalry  during  tlie  Civil  war ;  James 
Iv.  is  now  deceased,  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Ohio;  and 
John  W.,  who  lives  at  Waterloo,  Nebraska,  was  a  member  of  the  Eighty- 
third  Pennsylvania  Regiment.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four 
years,  but  the  mother  lived  to  be  sixty-five.  Both  were  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church. 

Jacob  W.  Moore  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  then 
went  to  work  in  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin.  He  voted  for  President 
Lincoln,  in  i860.  The  outbreak  of  the  war  found  him  ready  to  enlist 
for  service  in  defense  of  his  country,  and  on  August  2,  1861,  he  became 
a  member  of  Company  C,  Eighty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteen  Infantry, 
and  served  for  three  years  and  three  months,  in  this  time  participating 
in  thirty  battles.  He  was  v.-ith  Colonel  J.  \\'.  McClaine  in  the  Peninsular 
campaign,  with  Fitz  John  Porter  at  the  battles  of  Gainesville  and  Har- 
rison Landing,  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  Fredericksburg  and 
Gettysburg  and  was  stationed  at  Little  Round  Top  on  guard  duty.  He 
also  took  part  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  under  General  Grant  and 
was  also  under  General  Meade  at  Petersburg.  On  August  29,  1862, 
at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  he  was  struck  by  a  piece  of  shell  which 
cut  his  haversack  and  caused  a  flesh  wound  in  the  leg.  He  returned  home 
safely,  however,  after  an  honorable  and  faithful  service. 

Li  1864  he  was  married  in  Erie  county  to  Emma  J.  Walbridge, 
who  was  born  in  Springfield  township.  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania, 
being  a  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Malory)  Walbridge,  the  former  of 
whom  served  in  the  war  of  1S12.  Her  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five  years  and  her  mother  at  the  age  of  fifty-four.       They     had     these 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  387 

children :  Mrs.  Moore :  Charles  P.^  a  soldier  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-fifth  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  of  Marshall  county, 
Kansas;  Florence  H.,  of  Pawnee  county;  Henry  Carl,  also  a  soldier  of 
the  above  regiment,  who  lost  a  leg  at  Chickahominy ;  Andrew,  of  Erie 
county;  Delos,  of  Pennsylvania;  Mrs.  Ida  Church;  and  Mrs.  Eliza  Mor- 
gan, who  died  in  Kansas. 

After  coming  to  Nebraska,  Mr.  Jacob  Moore  became  first  a  foreman 
on  a  stock  ranch.  Seven  months  later  he  went  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
to  meet  his  wife,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  with  a  team  and  wagon. 
With  her  assistance  Mr.  Moore  soon  began  to  prosper,  and  now  has  a 
fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  acres,  including  meadows, 
orchards,  and  pastures.  His  home  is  comfortable  and  his  large  barns 
give  shelter  to  stock  and  abundant  harvests.  A  family  of  six  children 
has  been  born,  namely:  Mrs.  Clara  Scott,  of  Nemaha  county,  Kansas; 
Mrs.  Vinnie  Judkins,  of  Broken  Bow,  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Angle  Tracy, 
of  this  county;  Kate,  a  successful  and  popular  teacher  at  Table  Rock, 
Nebraska;  Mrs.  Lucia  Hildebrand,  of  Dubois,  Nebraska;  ]\Iary  A.,  at 
home.     Three  sons  and  one  daughter  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Moore  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  in  his  locality, 
was  deputy-sheriff  for  a  time,  and  for  two  years  was  tax  collector.  He 
belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  blue  lodge,  No.  23,  of  Pawnee,  Nebraska. 
The  family  is  one  of  the  intelligent,  hospitable  households  of  this  locality, 
and  its  members  enjov  the  esteem  of  the  conununitv. 


388  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

JEFFERSON  D.  BROWN. 

Jefferson  D.  Brown,  a  retired  merchant  and  now  stockman  of  Burch- 
ard,  Nebraska,  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Indiana,  May  13,  1842.  He 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  L.  and  Harriet  (Idson)  Brown,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  became  a  successful  farmer  in  Ohio,  to  which 
state  he  emigrated  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  Later  he  went  to  Indiana 
and  still  later  located  at  Centerville,  Iowa,  where  he  died  aged  sixty-four 
years.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Samuel  Brown, 
a  native  of  Graceland  county,  Virginia.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Brown  was 
born  in  Ohio  and  died  in  Miami  county,  Indiana,  when  Mr.  Brown  was 
but  three  vears  of  age.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  but  our 
subject  is  the  only  survivor. 

Jefferson  D.  Brown  was  reared  and  educated  in  Indiana  and  Iowa. 
At  the  first  call  for  men  when  the  rebellion  broke  out,  he  enlisted,  on 
July  15.  1861,  in  Company  B,  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
under  Colonel  Daniel  Miles  and  Captain  Joe  Miles.  The  regiment  was 
ordered  to  the  front  at  once,  and  at  the  battle  of  Corinth  in  October, 

1862,  he  was  wounded  and  taken  to  the  hospital  at  St.  Louis.     In  May, 

1863,  he  was  honorably  discharged  and  returned  home.  On  July  25th 
of  the  same  year  he  re-enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry  under  Captain 
M.  M.  Waldon,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  July,  1864, 
he  was  wounded  and  captured  with  his  regiment  and  taken  to  Anderson- 
ville,  where  he  was  kept  a  prisoner  for  nine  months,  when  he  succeeded 
in  making  his  escape.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  and  when  he  was  mustered 
out  he  was  a  commissioned  first  lieutenant.  After  his  second  discharge 
he  returned  to  his  father's  farm  and  soon  after  opened  a  livery  estab- 
lishment in  Centerville,  Iowa. 

November  20,  1865,  he  married  Salina  F.  Dye,  who  was  born  in 
Monroe  county,  Ohio.     She  bore  him  five  children,  as  follows :  Frank 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  389 

E.,  a  merchant  of  Lewistoii,  Nebraska,  is  married  and  has  two  cliildren ; 
Salina  M.  married  George  H.  Sheik,  a  merchant  of  Lewiston,  Nebraska, 
Annetta  B.  married  J.  F.  Halderman,  cashier  of  the  bank  of  Burchard ; 
Joseph  J.,  a  stockman  at  \^irg-inia,  Nebraska ;  Charles  E.,  a  mercliant 
of  Tate,  Nebraska. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Brown  continued  in  the  Hvery  business  a 
few  months  and  then  sold  out  and  retired  to  a  farm  near  Manhattan, 
Kansas.  In  1873  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  moved  to 
Manhattan,  the  county  seat,  was  re-elected  in  1875,  and  for  four  years 
he  efficiently  filled  that  responsible  office.  He  sold  his  Kansas  property 
in  1880  and  moved  to  Tecumseh,  Nebraska,  and  opened  a  hardware 
store,  which  he  continued  until  1884,  and  then  disposed  of  it,  and  in 
May  that  same  year  went  to  Blaine  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  helped 
to  locate  the  county  seat  at  Brewster.  While  there  he  operated  a  general 
store  and  stock  ranch,  but  after  nine  years  sold  his  interests  and  located 
at  Burchard,  Nebraska,  where  he  opened  the  largest  general  store.  This 
he  conducted  until  August,  1903,  when  he  sold  out.  He  also  deals 
largely  in  stock.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860, 
and  has  supported  the  Republican  party  since  that  date.  Like  the  major- 
ity of  the  old  soldiers  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  post  and  is  con- 
nected with  W.  A.  Butler  Post  No.  172  of  Burchard.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  for  thirty-seven  years,  being  the  oldest 
Mason  in  the  vicinity,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
ot  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  orders..  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church,  where  he  is  as  active  as  in 
politics  and  business  afifairs.  Upright  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings 
he  is  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  Burchard. 


390  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

GEORGE  H.  FALLSTEAD. 

George  H\  Fallstead,  until  recently  of  the  firm  of  Powell  and  Fall- 
stead,  leading  real  estate  men  of  Falls  City,  is  a  native  son  of  Richard- 
son county  and  has  passed  all  his  life  within  its  boundaries,  making  his 
best  successes  within  call  of  the  place  of  his  nativity.  Farming  and 
business  transactions  have  occupied  his  attention  since  he  left  school, 
and  his  career  has  been  one  of  steadily  increasing  success  and  pros- 
perity from  the  first. 

Mr.  Fallstead  was  born  on  a  farm  not  far  from  Falls  City,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1867.  His  paternal  ancestry  is  altogether  German.  His  grand- 
father, John  Fallstead,  was  a  German  farmer  and  freeholder,  born  about 
1766,  and  died  in  his  fatherland  when  about  eighty- four  years  old. 
He  reared  three  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  son  John  is  the  father 
of  Mr.  G.  H.  Fallstead,  and  was  born  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany, 
August  28,  1827.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  land  and  well  educated 
in  the  German  schools.  He  entered  the  German  army  and  took  part  in 
several  battles,  and  after  coming  to  this  country  also  had  some  military 
experience  in  fighting  with  the  Indians.  He  left  Bremen  in  1853.  and 
after  fifty-two  days  of  sailing  arrived  in  New  York,  having  spent  forty 
dollars  for  his  passage,  and  being  worth  only  twelve  dollars  in  money 
as  he  stood  on  the  streets  of  the  foreign  and  unfamiliar  city  and  country 
where  he  was  to  carve  out  his  destiny  and  fortune.  He  first  went  to 
Monroe,  Michigan,  and  thence  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  in  a 
brick  yard,  and  later  came  to  near  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  where  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  also  in  a  mill.  He  came  to  Nebraska  in 
the  pioneer  times  of  the  sixties,  bringing  about  five  hundred  dollars 
which  he  had  managed  by  his  industry  to  accumulate,  and  soon  pur- 
chased the  eighty  acres  which  forms  part  of  his  present  farmstead. 
He  was  married  in  February,  1867,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pollard,  who  was 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  391 

born  in  Tennessee  in  1847,  "^  daughter  of  George  W.  Pollard,  a  Ten- 
nessee farmer.  She  lost  her  mother  in  infancy  and  was  reared  by 
strangers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Fallstead  began  their  domestic  life  in  a  most 
primitive  fashion  in  Nebraska.  He  had  built  on  his  eighty  acres  a 
frame  house  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet,  and  this  was  the  home  until  fortune 
smiled  more  genially  on  his  diligent  efforts.  He  improved  his  land 
and  added  forty  acres  thereto  and  there  reared  his  family  and  has  since 
made  a  good  property,  having  been  able  to  equip  well  all  his  children 
for  fife's  duties  and  still  retain  a  comfortable  home  for  his  and  his 
good  wife's  age.  Their  three  children  are:  George  H.;  John  W.,  who 
lives  on  the  home  farm  and  has  one  daughter;  and  Mabel,  who  is  also 
on  the  home  place. 

Mr.  George  H.  Fallstead  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  engaged  in 
that  pursuit  until  about  nine  years  ago,  when  he  moved  to  Falls  City, 
where  he  owns  a  nice  home  in  Chase  street.  He  was  in  the  real 
estate  business  for  about  three  years,  and  he  and  his  partner  made  a 
reputation  as  hustling  business  men,  carrying  on  a  very  large  business 
in  city  and  farm  property.  He  sold  his  real  estate  interest  to  his  partner 
in  June,  1904,  and  is  now  engaged  in  fire  and  life  insurance  exclusively. 

Mr.  Fallstead  lived  at  home  until  his  marriage,  on  Christmas  day, 
1889.  His  wife's  maiden  name  is  Annie  M.  Birdsley.  She  was  born 
in  Iowa,  and  was  two  weeks  old  when  brought  across  the  Missouri  into 
Nebraska,  in  April,  1870.  Her  parents  are  Simon  Quincy  and  Ellen 
(Teeter)  Birdsley,  who  were  married  in  Illinois  about  1862,  and  the 
former  of  whom  is  now  about  seventy-five  years  old  and  the  latter  some 
eighteen  years  younger.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Birdsley  lost  two  children, 
and  the  following  are  living:  Charles  D.,  in  Falls  City,  has  three  chil- 
dren; Hiram,  in  Washington  county,  Kansas,  has  two  sons  and  three 


392  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

daughters;  Viola  Chapman  Hves  in  Falls  City;  Fanny,  the  wife  of  W. 
N.  Corder,  in  Kansas,  has  two  children:  ^frs.  Fallstead  is  next  of  the 
lamily ;  Lucy  Billips,  at  A^erdon,  Nebraska,  has  one  son ;  Jacob  Birds- 
ley  is  a  farmer  of  this  county.  These  seven  living  children  are  all 
worthy  men  and  women.  The  two  deceased  are  John,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two.  and  Asa,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen.     ' 

Mr.  and  Airs.  Fallstead  have  had  five  children ;  Naomi,  a  bright 
girl  of  thirteen,  in  the  seventh  grade  and  also  taking  piano  instruction; 
a  son  that  died  in  infancy;  Coral  Clyde,  aged  six,  has  entered  school; 
Dale  Deloss,  aged  three;  and  Floyd  Francis.  Mr.  Fallstead  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat ;  but  without  political  aspirations  or  longings.  He  is  a  prominent 
Knight  of  Pythias,  and  in  his  lodge  is  master  of  finance  and  keeper  of 
records  and  seals. 


ROBERT  McELHOSE. 

Robert  McElhose,  who  has  been  one  of  the  esteemed  residents 
of  Pawnee  county  since  1894,  has  a  life  record  of  unusual  interest  and 
activity.  He  has  alwa^-s  been  noted  for  his  substantial  qualities  of  citi- 
zenship, and  in  more  than  one  instance  has  been  of  service  to  his  com- 
munity and  during  the  great  Civil  war  was  a  faithful  and  loyal  follower 
of  the  flag  of  the  Union  in  many  marches  and  campaigns  of  the  south. 
He  is  a  distinctly  self-made  man,  as  the  following  details  of  his  career 
will  verify,'  and  by  his  honesty  and  integrity  has  won  an  en\iable  posi- 
tion in  every  community  where  he  has  made  his  home. 

Mr.  McElhose  was  born  in  county  Antrim,  Ireland,  June  i,  1844, 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  twelve  children  born  to  William  and  Mar- 
garet  (Smith)    McElhose.     When  he  was  three  years  old  the  family, 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  393 

witli  the  exception  of  one  sister,  emigrated  to  America  and  landed  in 
Philadelphia,  wliere  they  remained  for  one  year,  and  where  the  sister 
rejoined  them.  They  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  a  farm  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  four  years  later  the  father  of  the  family 
died,  at  the  ag'e  of  sixty  years,  having  spent  his  life  in  farming.  His 
wife  survived  him  and  died  in  Plainfield,  Illinois,  in  1865,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years.  They  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Their  children  were  named  as  follows:  Hannah,  who  became  the  wife 
of  James  Scott;  Robert;  Benjamin;  Margaret,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Matthew  Smith;  Matilda;  Sarah,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Gilles- 
pie; Eliza,  who  married  John  McCann;  William,  \vho  was  a  scildier  in 
the  Civil  war;  Hugh;  Richard;  James;  and  Robert. 

Robert  McElhose  was  fifteen  years  old  when  he  removed  with 
his  mother  from  Pennsylvania  to  Plainfield,  Illinois,  having  spait  the 
preceding  years  in  work  on  the  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  common 
schools.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  the  blacksmith  trade,  but  before 
he  had  served  his  time  the  war  broke  out.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
enlisted  in  Company  D,  One  Hundredth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  served 
for  three  years,  receiving  his  honorable  discharge  at  Albany,  New  York, 
in  July.  1865.  He  participated  in  some  of  the  campaigns  of  the  west- 
ern armies,  his  most  important  battles  being  those  of  Perryville,  Stone 
River,  and  Lavergne,  besides  numerous  skirmishes.  Sickness  kept  him 
from  active  duty  for  some  time,  but  he  was  always  ready  and  willing 
to  serve  in  any  capacity  for  which  he  had  the  strength.  For  eleven 
months  he  was  never  off  duty  for  a  single  day.  He  was  advanced 
from  a  private  to  corporal  and  then  to  sergeant,  which  latter  grade  he 
reached  before  he  was  nineteen  years  old. 

When  the  war  was  over  he  went  home  and  completed  his  period 
of  apprenticeship  of  three  years.     He  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  two 


394         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

years,  and  then  moved  to  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  he  opened  a  shop 
of  his  own,  having  a  good  patronage  for  about  five  years.  He  then 
went  to  Cambridge,  Illinois,  and  went  into  the  carriage  business  with 
Sylvester  Rockwell,  under  the  firm  name  of  McElhose  and  Rockwell. 
Two  years  later  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  McElhose 
moved  to  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  and  thence  in  the  spring  of  1877 
came  to  Page  county,  Iowa,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his  removal 
to  Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  in  1894.  He  had  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  Page  .county,  five  acres  of  which  was  a  magnifi- 
cent orchard,  and  he  was  a  very  successful  farmer  and  fruit  grower. 
Since  coming  to  Nebraska  he  has  continued  the  prosperity  of  former 
years,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  in  business  and  agricultural  circles. 

Mr.  McElhose  has  been  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  Republican  party 
since  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  being  at  that  time 
under  age  and  a  soldier  in  the  ranks  of  his  country.  He  is  popular 
Grand  Army  man  and  affiliates  with  the  post  at  Pawnee.  November  i, 
1867,  Mr.  McElhose  was  married  to  Miss  Lottie  Wicks,  who  was  born 
in  Michigan  in  1847,  '^  daughter  of  Ira  and  Mary  (Hand)  Wicks, 
natives  of  Massachusetts.  She  died  in  1870,  leaving  two  childrei., 
Ira,  who  lives  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  Roy,  deceased.  Septem- 
ber 7,  1876,  Mr.  McElhose  married  Miss  Alice  Monfort,  who  was  born 
in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  August  3,  1851,  and  was  one  of  three  children. 
Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  baby,  and  her  mother  in  1885.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McElhose  have  three  children.  Bertha  M.,  Maggie  S.  and  Roy. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  395 

SAMUEL  E.  SLOCUM. 

Samuel  E.  Slociim  is  one  of  tlie  earliest  settlers  of  southeastern 
Nebraska,  and  has  resided  in  Richardson  county  for  nearly  forty  years. 
He  is  one  of  the  patriarchs,  but  the  vigor  and  vivacity  of  the  past  years 
have  by  no  means  deserted  him,  and  he  may  well  be  said  to  be  eighty- 
nine  years  young.  He  has  a  good  account  to  give  of  every  year  of  his 
long  career,  and  his  age  of  usefulness  is  crowned  in  happy  retirement, 
with  serene  contemplation  of  the  years  agone  and  with  beatific  visions 
of  the  l)ourne  to  which  his  spirit  journeys.  Despite  his  long  and  event- 
ful life,  his  memory  travels  with  sure  and  active  step  along  all  the  ways 
he  has  come,  from  the  time  of  boyhood  pleasures  in  the  old  Green  Moun- 
tain state,  through  the  restless  activity  of  young  manhood,  and  thence 
through  the  sober  realities  of  the  past  fifty  years.  He  truly  deserves 
the  honor  and  veneration  which  all  who  know  freely  accord  him. 

Mr.  Slocum  was  born  in  Addison  county,  Vermont,  January  i, 
18 1 5,  or,  as  his  father  used  to  tell  him,  on  the  first  day  of  the  year, 
the  first  of  the  month,  the  first  of  the  week,  and  at  sunrise.  His  earliest 
ancestors  were  from  England,  whence  three  Slocum  brothers  came  years 
ago  and  settled  in  Rhode  Island.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Slocum, 
was  a  farmer  of  Addison  county,  Vermont,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  He  held  a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  arm^j'  of 
the  Revolution,  and  his  son  Samuel  fought  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  the 
latter's  son.  Samuel  E.,  was  a  balje  in  the  cradle  when  Jackson  fought 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Samuel  Slocum,  the  father  of  Samuel  E. 
Slocum,  was  born  near  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  died  in  1865. 
in  Richardson  county,  Nebraska,  when  aged  eighty-four  years.  He  fol- 
lowed the  sea  from  the  age  of  thirteen  to  twenty-six,  rising  from  cabin 
boy  to  the  position  of  captain  of  a  vessel.  He  married  Mary  Sherman, 
of  Rhode  Island,   and  they  had  the  following  children:   Henry   Sher- 


396  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

man  died  in  Minnesota  in  middle  life,  leaving  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters; Samuel  E.  is  the  next;  Elizal.ieth  died  in  jMeadville,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  middle  life,  leaving  a  family;  George,  a  resident  of  Chautau- 
qua county,  New  York,  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  county 
and  held  the  office  for  twenty-eight  years ;  Fitzgerald,  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  at  Lake  City,  Minnesota,  has  two  sons  and  seven  daughters ;  Ruth, 
Mrs.  \\"illiam  Stringham,  living  at  Lake  City,  Alinnesota;  Amanda,  of 
Lake  City,  has  four  sons  and  one  daughter ;  ]\Ianley,  a  carpenter  and 
contractor  of  California,  has  two  daughters  and  one  son;  Lucy  is 
deceased. 

Mr.  Samuel  E.  Slocum  was  reared  on  a  Vermont  farm,  widi  his 
educational  equipment  acquired  in  the  district  schools  and  his  further 
training  for  life  gained  on  his  father's  small  farm.  On  May  i  of  the 
year  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he  went  to  Brighton,  New  York,  and 
was  employed  on  a  farm  there  from  May  9  till  the  following  October. 
His  father  then  came  through,  being  on  his  way  to  a  more  western 
place  of  settlement,  and  he  joined  the  rest  of  the  family  and  located 
with  them  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  helped  clear  a 
farm  from  the  woods.  Crawford  county  was  his  home  for  nineteen 
years,  and  in  that  time  he  grew  to  manhood  and  gained  a  foothold  in 
the  world  of  affairs. 

In  1S55  he  sold  his  seventy  acre  farm  in  Pennsylvania  and  migrated 
west  as  far  as  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  an  improved 
half  section  on  which  he  lived  for  eight  years.  He  then  sold  and  went 
up  into  Minnesota,  where  he  bought  a  quarter  section  of  wild  land  for 
a  thousand  dollars,  and  after  three  years  of  labor  spent  on  it  he  sold 
the  place  for  three  thousand  dollars.  He  had  raised  over  thirteen  hun- 
dred bushels  of  wheat,  seven  hundred  of  oats,  besides  large  amounts  of 
corn    and    potatoes.      Li    September,    1865,    he   arrived    in    Richardson 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  397 

county,  Nebraska.  On  Saturday  night  he  stopped  at  the  home  of  liis 
daughter,  ]\Irs.  John  P.  Ring,  and  on  the  following  Wednesday  was 
making  hay  on  his  own  land.  He  was  a  prosperous  agriculturist  for 
many  years,  but  is  now  retired  from  acti^'C  duties,  making  his  home 
alternately  with  his  sons  James  and  George,  lx)th  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Slocum  has  been  married  three  times,  and  all  the  marriages 
took  place  while  he  was  living  in  Pennsylvania.  His  first  union,  in 
iS37>  was  with  Mary  V.  Line,  a  lady  of  most  estimable  virtues,  who 
died  sixteen  years  later,  leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  Mrs.  J.  P.  King  is  the  eldest.  His  second  marriage  was  to 
Martha  M.  Maxwell,  who  died  at  the  birth  of  her  first  child.  He  was 
married  in  1854  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith,  a  daughter  of  John  Smith, 
and  they  had  a  most  happy  and  useful  marital  life  of  forty-six  years. 
Mrs.  Slocum  died  on  the  farm  in  Nebraska,  May  2,  1900,  when  almost 
eighty  years  old.  She  and  her  husband  were  Methodists  of  manv  years' 
standing,  and  she  was  a  most  pious  and  worthy  Woman.  Mr.  Slocum 
was  formerly  a  \Miig,  but  a  Republican  since  the  party  was  organized. 


W.  W.  WRIGHT. 

^V.  W.  Wright,  county  treasurer  of  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  and  a 
prominent  resident  of  Beatrice,  has  been  in  this  locality  since  1880  and 
has  held  his  present  office  since  1901.  Mr.  ^^'right  was  born  near  Mon- 
roeville,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  April  8,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
Wright,  who  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  young  man,  settling  in  Ohio.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Eliza  Wakefield,  born  and  reared  in  England,  and 
married  in  this  countr}'.     They  first  resided  in  Huron  count}',  but  later 


398  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

located  in  Wood  county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  was  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stock-raiser.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  his  religious 
convictions  made  him  an  Episcopalian,  while  his  wife  was  a  Methodist. 
The  following  family  were  born  to  them :  Charles  H. ;  William  W. ; 
Mary,  deceased;  Emma;  James;  Lydia;  Riley,  deceased;  Etta; 
Frank;  Dudley;  three  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  W.  W.  Wright  was  reared  in  Ohio  and  then  went  to  Nebraska. 
During  his  boyhood  he  was  taught  the  principles  of  integrity  and  hon- 
esty. He  developed  his  muscle  on  the  farm  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  was  a  successful 
teacher  for  some  time  in  Nebraska,  coming  here  in  1880  and  locating 
at  Blue  Springs,  Gage  county.  Later  he  moved  to  Wymore,  where  he 
invested  largely  in  real  estate,  bought  and  sold  land  with  marked  suc- 
cess and  followed  that  business  until  he  was  elected  to  his  present  office 
of  county  treasurer. 

In  May,  1902,  he  married  Tillie  Kuhn,  a  native  of  Flat  Rock. 
Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Susanna  Is^uhn,  and  the  former 
is  now  deceased.  Mr.  Wright  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican, 
active  in  the  work  of  the  party,  and  served  in  various  ofifices  of  responsi- 
bility. He  has  also  represented  his  party  as  a  delegate  to  various  con- 
ventions. Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason  and  is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge 
and  chapter.  He  served  as  high  priest  of  the  local  lodge  for  fourteen 
years.  He  is  now  grand  scribe  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Nebraska.  He 
is  a  man  of  personal  magnetism,  jovial  in  manner  and  one  who  makes 
and  retains  many  friends.  He  moved  to  Beatrice  in  1901,  where  he  still 
resides. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA . 


CAPTAIN  ISAAC  N.  HICKMAN. 


399 


Captain  Isaac  N.  Hickman,  of  Beatrice,  Gage  countv,  Nebraska, 
is  one  of  the  honored  veterans  and  members  of  the  G.  A.  R.  post  of  this 
city.  His  war  record  began  in  Augnst,  1862,  when  he  enhsted  at  St. 
Lonis,  Missouri,  in  Company  A,  Thirtieth  Missouri  Vohmteer  Infantry 
although  he  liad  been  active  as  a  recruiting  officer  prior  to  tliis  and  was 
therefore  elected  second  lieutenant.  The  regiment  was  placed  under  the 
command  of  General  Sherman,  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps,  and  he  was  promoted  for  gallant  service  to  Captain  of  the 
Sixth  United  States  heavy  artillery  under  Colonel  B.  G.  Farrar,  and 
had  charge  at  Natchez  of  the  fortifications.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
after  an  honorable  record  too  lengthy  to  insert  in  full  in  this  brief 
space.  Captain  Hickman  remained  at  Natchez  until  1866,  and  then 
removed  to  St.  Lonis,  where  he  served  on  the  police  force  of  that  cit) 
for  some  time. 

Tlie  birth  of  Captain  Hickman  took  place  in  Jefferson  county,  Mis- 
souri, in  1 84 1,  the  same  year  that  King  Fdward  was  liorn.  His  ancestors 
were  the  Hickmans  of  Kentucky,  early  settlers  of  Kentucky,  a  number 
of  whom  participated  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
Hickman,  of  Kentucky,  and  Mary  Jane  (Wilson)  Hickman  who  was 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  Missouri,  of  an  old  southern  family.  Both 
are  now  deceased,  the  father  dying  on  a  farm  at  the  age  of  fortv-two. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  in  religion  a  Baptist  as  was  also  his 
wife,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

Captain  Hickman  was  reared  in  Jefferson  county,  and  while  se- 
curing what  education  he  could  he  learned  both  the  cooper  and  mason's 
trade  and  became  very  successful  as  a  brickmason,  following  the  latter 
trade  for  some  years.  His  next  business  venture  was  the  conducting 
of  a  store  at  Highridge,  Jeft'erson  county,  Missouri,  and  he  was  engaged 


400  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

in  that  line  wlien  lie  entered  the  war.  As  before  stated,  he  served  on 
the  St.  Louis  police  force,  but  in  1871  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  settling 
in  October  of  that  year  at  Beatrice,  where  he  \\as  married  to  Mrs. 
Phoebe  (Roads)  Nesley,  Avidow  of  David  Nesley,  who  had  served  in 
an  Ohio  regiment,  but  died  in  Illinois  leaving  a  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren, namely:  Emma  died  at  the  age  of  twelve;  Minnie  died  at  the 
age  of  eight.  Mrs.  Hickman  was  born  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Ellas  and  Nancy  Roads,  who  came  to  Nebraska  and 
died  in  Beatrice.  The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hickman  :  Walter  A.,  a  business  man  of  Beatrice ;  Charles  M. ;  and  Wil- 
liam who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months. 

Captain  Hickman  resides  at  901  Market  street.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  Rawlins  Post  No.  35.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  has  passed  all  the  chairs.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  many  friends 
in  Beatrice.  Since  locating  in  Beatrice  he  has  followed  general  con- 
tracting and  building. 


HENRY  C.  LAPP. 

Henry  C.  Lapp,  engineer  of  the  water  works  and  the  electric  light 
and  power  plant  at  Falls  City,  is  an  old  resident  of  this  city,  having 
made  it  his  home  for  twenty-eight  years,  since  1876.  He  saw  a  good 
deal  of  life  and  the  world  before  he  settled  down  to  permanency  in 
southeastern  Nebraska,  and  his  career  throughout  has  been  useful  and 
varied  enought  to  give  it  spice  and  interest.  He  is  one  of  the  fore- 
most citizens  of  Richardson  county,  with  his  place  of  esteem  assured 
by  years  of  diligent  and  honorable  effort. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  401 

Mr.  Lapp  was  born  in  Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  September  11, 
1855.  The  family  originated  in  Lapland,  with  its  first  authentic  rec- 
ord extending  back  to  1665,  and  various  migrations  were  made,  from 
Norway  to  Sweden,  thence  to  Germany,  from  there  to  Vir- 
ginia, to  Canada,  and  to  Illinois.  Mr.  Lapp's  great-grandfather  was 
a  Virginia  planter,  who  on  account  of  religoius  scruples  freed  his 
slaves.  ]\Iartin  Lapp,  the  grandfather,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  religious  sect  of  Mennonites.  He  was  an  early  settler 
of  Illinois,  and  his  son  Martin,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  about  seven 
miles  from  Niagara  Falls,  was  also  an  Illinois  settler,  and  became  the 
father  of  Henry  C.  Lapp.  Grandfather  Martin  Lapp  married  Katie  Her- 
shey,  who  was  born  in  Pemisylvania  in  February  1796,  and  of  their  three 
sons,  Abraham  and  Christopher  still  live,  the  latter  being  engaged  in 
gold  mining  in  Montana,  and  being  the  father  of  eleven  children.  Mar- 
tin Lapp,  the  father  of  Mr.  H.  C.  Lapp,  was  married  twice.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  Freeror,  of  Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  and  her 
family  were  Germans,  who  emigrated  first  to  Philadelphia  and  thence 
to  Illinois.     His  second  wife  was  Miss  Lizzie  Gholing. 

Henry  C.  Lapp  lost  his  mother  in  1857,  and  he  has  no  recollection 
of  the  noble  and  good  woman  of  whom  he  was  the  only  son.  He  was 
reared  in  Illinois  by  his  grandparents  Lapp.  He  has  made  his  own  way 
since  1866,  and  left  with  his  grandfather,  who  was  his  guardian,  some 
twenty-seven  hundred  dollars,  of  which  he  received  none.  He  was  in 
St.  Louis  when  they  were  building  the  big  bridge  across  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  worked  and  made  his  home  in  Springfield,  Missouri,  until 
1 87 1.  From  there  he  went  to  Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  thence  to  northern 
Illinois.  He  was  a  fireman  on  a  locomotive  until  1876,  and  made  his 
arrival  in  Fall  City  in  June  of  that  year,  being  on  his  way  to  San 
Francisco.     He  was  with  a  surveying  outfit  in  western  Nebraska  for  a 


402         SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

time,  but  has  since  been  in  this  city,  and  has  been  the  efficient  engineer 
of  the  water  works  for  some  years.  He  had  only  a  dollar  and  a  quarter 
to  his  name  when  he  was  married,  but  his  thrift  and  industry  have 
o;ained  him  a  goodly  share  of  the  world's  goods.  Ten  years  ago  he 
built  his  cosy  home  of  nine  rooms,  and  he  owns  sixteen  city  lots. 

Mr.  Lapp  was  married  in  Falls  City,  June  17,  1879,  to  Miss 
Eleanora  C.  Fikes,  who  was  born  near  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  April  9, 
i860.  She  has  one  brother,  Charles,  of  Santa  Cruz,  California.  Her 
father,  John  Fikes,  was  a  farmer  in  New  York,  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Ne- 
braska, coming  to  this  state  in  1864,  and  in  1886  went  to  California, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lapp  have 
three  children :  Mattie  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Foster,  a  veterinarian  in  Falls 
City;  Miss  Addie  resides  at  home;  and  Sidney  was  born  May  14,  1889. 
Mr.  Lapp  is  a  Chapter  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter.  His  family  are  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church. 


LEWIS  ACHENBACH. 

Among  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  who  are  honored  by  their 
fellow  townsmen  in  the  city  of  Beatrice,  Gage  county,  Nebraska,  none 
stand  higher  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  notice.  His 
enlistment  took  place  in  December,  1863,  at  W'aukegan,  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  in  Company  I,  Seventeenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  one  of  the  best 
cavalry  regiments  of  the  state,  Col.  Beverage  (who  won  glory  and 
honor  in  \'irginia)  and  Captain  Nathan  Vose  commanding.  The  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  Alton,  Illinois,  to  guard  prisoners.  Later  it 
was  engaged  in  the  Missouri  campaign.     In  1865  Mr.  Achenbach  suf- 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  403 

fered  from  sunstroke.  He  never  fully  recovered  and  it  has  bothered 
him  more  or  less  ever  since.  On  account  of  this  stroke  he  was  in  the 
hospital  for  some  time,  and  when  sufficiently  recovered  was  honorably 
discharged  and  returned  home  to  Illinois. 

Lewis  Achenbach  was  born  in  Germany  on  September  11,  1838, 
and  he  was  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Mary  (Badenbender)  Achenbach. 
In  1852  the  family  came  to  the  United  States  from  Bremen  on  a  sail- 
ing vessel,  which  consumed  nine  weeks  in  a  stormy  voyage.  They 
landed  in  New  York  and  proceeded  at  once  to  Waukegan,  Lake  county, 
Illinois.  Both  parents  died  in  that  state.  Nine  children  were  born  to 
these  parents,  of  whom  the  following  served  in  the  Civil  war.  Leonard 
was  in  an  Illinois  regiment  and  is  now  deceased ;  Edgar  was  also  in 
an  Illinois  regiment,   and  Lewis. 

Lewis  Achenbach  was  but  f(iurteen  years  of  age  when  he  left 
Germany,  where  he  had  studied  in  his  native  language,  and  after 
coming  to  America  he  pursued  his  education  still  further  and  learned 
the  cooper's  trade.  About  the  time  he  was  enabled  to  earn  good  wages 
at  his  calling,  he  enlisted,  and  when  he  returned  to  his  old  home  he 
found  himself  troubled  by  ill  health.  In  order  to  improve  it  he  removed 
to  Flody  county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  upon  a  farm  until  1869,  and 
then  located  in  Brownville,  Nebraska.  This  climate  not  seeming  to 
suit  him  he  made  another  change,  settling  in  Vesta,  Johnson  county, 
Nebraska;  again  removed  and  remained  at  Turkey  creek,  Pawnee 
county,  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  Beatrice,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  in  this  city. 

In  1868  he  was  married  in  Floyd  county,  Iowa,  to  Lienan  Estella 
Conlee,  who  was  born  at  Alton,  Illinois,  but  was  reared  and  educated 
at  Galena,  Illinois.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  H.  Conlee,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Galena,  Illinois,  and  an  old  friend  and  neighbor  of  General 


404  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Grant.  Mr.  Coulee  was  at  one  time  sheriff  of  Jo  Daviess  county, 
Illinois,  and  was  United  States  marshal.  He  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 
being  present  at  the  celebrated  debate  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  between 
Lincoln  and  Douglas  in  1858.  As  he  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
President  Lincoln  his  smypathies  of  course  were  with  that  great  man, 
although  he  also  admired  the  ability  of  Stephen  .A.  Douglas.  By  call- 
ing he  was  a  merchant,  and  was  very  successful  in  all  his  ventures. 
He  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  married  Mary  Crowder,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  whose  father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Mr.  Conlee  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Lie  was  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Twelve 
children,  six  sons  and  six  daughters,  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cou- 
lee. Of  them,  Alexander  served  in  Company  K,  Ninety-sixth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry ;  Thomas  A.  served  in  Company  K,  Ninety- 
sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry;  and  William  served  in  the  One 
Hundred   and    Forty-second    Illinois   Volunteer   Infantry. 

Mrs.  Achenbach  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Floyd  county 
and  is  a  lady  of  pleasing  manner  and  disposition.  She  has  borne  her 
husband  the  following  children :  Leone  E.  Fairchilds,  of  Orleans,  Ne- 
braska; June  A.;  Jessie  L.  Reid,  of  Chicago;  Lewis  Elbert;  Alexander, 
deceased.  Mr.  Achenbach  is  a  member  of  Rawlins  Post  No.  35,  and 
fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodman  and  Woodman 
of  the   World. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  405 

JOSEPH  LESCHER. 

Joseph  Lescher,  one  of  the  weH  known  and  highly  respected  vete- 
rans of  the  Civil  war  residing  at  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Jacob  Lescher,  who 
was  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  Lancaster  county,  and  w'ho  married 
Maria  Bricker,  also  born  in  Pennsylvania.  They  had  the  following 
children:  Samuel,  who  was  a  surgeon  of  a  colored  brigade;  Elvira; 
Mary  Rebecca;  Maria;  John  J.,  a  physician;  George;  William,  who  was 
blind ;   Elizabeth,   who  lives   in   Beatrice ;   and  Joseph. 

Joseph  Lescher  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  went  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  then  he  removed  to  Mt.  Carmel,  Illinois,  and  in 
1884  located  in  Beatrice,   Nebraska. 

The  war  record  of  Mr.  Lescher  is  one  of  which  he  well  may  be 
proud.  He  enlisted  in  Illinois,  in  August,  1862,  Company  B,  Eighty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  Crebbs  and  Captain  W. 
T.  Prunty  commanding.  For  three  years  he  was  a  gallant  soldier. 
He  participated  at  Sabine  Crossroads  under  General  Banks,  and  took 
part  in  many  battles  and  skirmishes  diuMug  his  term  of  ser\-ice.  Mr. 
Lescher  was  married  to  Liljby  A.  Ogborn,  who  was  born  at  Liverpool, 
Madison  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Ogborn.  Her  father  died 
in  Perry  county,  Illinois.  During  his  life  he  was  a  man  of  upright 
character  and  sterling  principles  and  was  deeply  mourned  after  his 
demise.  He  married  Sarah  Foulke,  a  lady  of  character  and  great  in- 
telligence. Mrs.  Sarah  Ogborn  was  born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
hei"  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  while  her  mother  came  of  a 
Virginia  family.  Three  children  were  born  to  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Ogborn, 
namely:  Lafayette,  of  Kingston,  Indiana,  and  postal  clerk  for 
thirty-five  vears.  was  a  gallant  soldier  in  Company  G,  Twelfth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantrv ;  John  also  served  in  the  Union  army ;  Mrs.  Lescher. 


4o6  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

Mrs.  Ogborn  resides  with  her  daughter  in  Beatrice,  where  John  also 
makes  his  home.     She  was  born  in  1823. 

By  occupation  ]Mr.  Lescher  is  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  business  transactions,  firmly  establishing 
himself  in  the  confidence  of  the  community.  Mrs.  Lescher  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Relief  Corps,  of  which  she  is  state  deputy,  and  she  is 
ex-vice  president  of  the  local  W.  R.  C.  Both  she  and  her  husband  are 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  entire  county,  and  are  repre- 
sentatives of  the  best  interests  of  Nebraska. 


HENRY  S.  MEYERS. 

Henry  S.  Meyers,  who  resides  just  outside  of  Falls  City,  is  one 
of  the  prominent  and  successful  farmers  of  Richardson  county,  with 
a  record  for  efiiciency,  honesty,  integrity,  and  prosperous  results  in  all 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow  citizens  and  in  his  individual  work.  He 
was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Illinois,  June  4,  1864,  and  comes  of  a 
family  that  has  long  been  resident  in  the  United  States,  and  wliose 
individual  members  have  been  worthy  and  upright  men  and  women 
in  what  ever  sphere  their  abilities  or  inclinations  have  led  them  to  act. 

His  great-grandfather  was  Jacob  Meyers,  a  German,  who  crossed 
the  Atlantic  and  became  a  successful  farmer  in  Somerset  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  has  been  the  principal  seat  of  the  family  ever  since. 
Jacob  Meyers  had  eighteen  children  in  all,  and  five  of  the  sons  became 
ministers  of  the  German  Baptist  church,  which  has  been  the  religious 
faith  of  tlie  family  to  the  present  time.  He  died  in  old  age,  survived 
by  his  widow,  and  length  of  years  was  vouchsafed  to  all  their  de- 
scendants. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  407 

Martin  Meyers,  the  grandfatlier  of  Mr.  H,  S.  Meyers,  was  born 
in  Somerset  county,  April  11,  1812.  He  was  married  in  1833  to 
Sarah  Witts,  who  was  born  in  November,  1820,  a  daughter  of  George 
Witts.  She  was  married  at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  was  a  mother  at 
fifteen,  and  all  of  her  fifteen  children  grew  up,  their  names  being  as 
follows:  Mary,  born  in  1835  ^"<i  died  in  1903;  William,  living  in 
Morrill,  Kansas ;  Elizabeth,  of  the  same  place,  and  the  mother  of  seven 
living  children ;  Adaline  Smith,  of  Morrill,  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren; Elias  S.,  mentioned  below;  Lydia,  of  Washington,  Is^ansas,  and 
mother  of  four  children ;  Martin,  a  farmer  near  Morrill ;  Rebecca,  of 
Hiawatha,  Kansas;  Harriet  Springer;  Sarah  Springer,  of  Morrill; 
George  and  Michael,  twins,  the  former  deceased ;  David,  postmaster  at 
Morrill;  Anna  Beard,  deceased;  Susan  Slifer,  of  Oneida,  Kansas.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  in  1895,  his  being  the  first  death,  and  two  of 
the  children  died  in  the  same  year,  and  his  wife  died  in  1898.  These 
worthy  grandparents  began  life  without  money,  and  in  addition  to  rear- 
ing and  providing  well  for  their  children,  left  an  estate  valued  at 
twenty-two  thousand  dollars.  Martin  Meyers  was  a  self-educated 
man,  of  large  and  generous  mind.  He  taught  fourteen  terms  of  school 
after  his  marriage,  and  was  also  a  preacher  in  the  German  Baptist 
church  for  many  years,  and  had  also  been  a  surveyor. 

Elias  S.  Meyers,  the  father  of  Henry  S.  Meyers,  was  born  in 
Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  24,  1845,  settled  in  Carroll  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  1862,  and  was  an  early  settler  of  Richardson  county, 
Nebraska,  in  the  year  1870,  being  now  retired  from  farming  life  and 
residing  in  Falls  City.  He  was  married  in  Carroll  county  to  Miss 
Susan  Sipe,  who  was  born  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
6,  1844.  The  Sipes  were  prominent  people  of  that  county  and  state, 
and  nearly  all  lived  long  as  well  as  useful  lives.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  S. 


4o8  SOUTHEASTERN     NEBRASKA. 

Meyers  began  live  as  tenant  farmers  in  Carroll  county,  and  made  a 
successful  record  Avhile  living  there.  On  coming  to  Nebraska  they 
bought  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  prairie  land  at  twelve  dollars 
an  acre,  and  worked  hard  for  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  the 
place.  The  grasshopper  plague  was  the  most  serious  setback  to  their 
prosperity,  but  they  have  in  the  main  been  successful,  and  are  now  re- 
tired from  active  labor. 

Henry  S.  Meyers  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents.  He  has  a  fine 
lot  of  land,  and  in  1901  erected  a  fine  two  and  a  half  story  residence, 
sixty  by  thirty-four  feet,  where  he  has  a  most  happy  and  comfortable 
home.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Richardson 
county,  Ohio  township,  and  his  wife  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
as  a  gift  from  her  father.  There  are  eighty  acres  in  the  home  place, 
and  his   farming  operations   are  conducted  with   gratifying  success. 

Mr.  Meyers  married,  March  16,  1886,  Miss  Laura  Maddox,  a 
daughter  of  William  Maddox.  She  was  educated  in  the  district  school 
one  half  mile  north  of  her  present  home,  and  has  lived  in  this  county 
all  her  life.  Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyers:  Perry, 
born  in  1886;  William  Raymond,  born  November  19,  1888;  Anna, 
born  May  26,  1891 ;  and  Wilma,  born  May  6,  1893,  and  who  was  taken 
to  the  Chicago  World's  Fair  when  five  months  old.  The  oldest  son 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Falls  City  Business  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyers 
have  traveled  over  the  country  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  the  entire 
family  made  one  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Meyers  affiliates  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  independent  in  politics.  He 
held  at  the  same  time  the  offices  of  township  clerk  and  township  asses- 
sor of  Ohio  township,  being  in  those  offices  for  several  terms. 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 


409 


JAMES  W.  PACE. 

Janies  W.  Pace,  one  of  the  prominent  residents  of  Beatrice,  Nebras- 
ka, was  born  in  Hart  county,  Kentucky,  January  7,  1836,  a  son  of 
Tiiomas  Pace,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  a  gallant  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  war,  in  General  Taylor's  command.  The  mother  of  Thomas 
Pace  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Amanda  Anderson,  and  she  was 
born  in  Barren  county,  'Kentucky.  Her  father  was  William  Anderson, 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  serving  under  General  Jackson,  and  partic- 
ipated in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans.  Thomas  Pace  and  wife  had  the 
following  children,  viz. :  James  \A\ ;  John  L. :  Abner  H. ;  George  ^^^  : 
Captain  C.  C,  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  who  were  all  gallant  soldiers 
during  the  Civil  war;  Arabella;  Mollie,  deceased;  and  Ida.  The 
father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years,  while  the  mother  died  at 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  They  were  both  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

James  \Y .  Pace  was  reared  in  Kentucky.  He  married  Louisa 
Gardner.  She  was  born  in  Larue  county,  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of 
Hath  and  Anna  Gardner,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Larue  county,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years,  while  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  forty-fi\'e  years,  and  both 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Li  1859  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pace  removed  to  Doniphan  county,  Kansas,  then  to  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri, and  finally  to  Gage  county,  Nebraska.  Four  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Pace,  namely:  John,  who  was  born  in  Kansas,  June 
7,  i860,  and  died  in  1863;  William  L.,  of  Beatrice;  Ida  Coon,  of  the 
same  place;  Nellie  Elliott,  also  of  Beatrice.  Mr.  Pace  owns  his  home, 
and  he  and  his  excellent  wife  make  welcome  all  their  friends.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post,  which  he  joined  thirty  years 


4IO  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

ago.     In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Baptist.     Kind-hearted,  genial  and  sen- 
sible, he  makes  and  retains  many  friends. 

In  August,  1862,  while  living  in  the  state  of  Kansas,  Mr.  Pace 
responded  to  the  call  of  the  President  and  enlisted  under  Colonel  Thomas 
Bowan  and  Captain  Schilling,  and  participated  in  a  number  of  import- 
ant engagements  in  the  Red  River  campaign.  After  a  gallant  service 
during  which  he  made  an  honorable  record  for  himself,  ]\Ir.  Pace  was 
formally  discharged  and  returned  to  his  home  in  August,  1865.  After 
General  Grant  died  he  cared  for  "Linden  Tree,"  the  horse  which  was 
presented  to  General  Grant  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 


O.  M.  ENLOW. 

O.  M.  Enlow,  attorney-at-la\v  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska,  is  one  of 
the  old  settlers  of  the  county,  having  resided  here  since  1870.  He  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  November  15,  1844,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  N.  and  Margaret  (Jamison)  Enlow,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  The  family  removed  to  Illinois  in  1854,  where 
the  father  died  in  December,  1878,  aged  fifty-two  years,  while  his 
widow  resided  at  Sprinfield,  Illinois,  and  died  there  January  4,  1904, 
aged  eight-one  .  The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple  were :  O.  M. ; 
Albert,  of  Springfield ;  John,  deceased ;  Helen,  deceased ;  Josephine, 
deceased. 

Mr.  O.  M.  Enlow  was  given  a  good  education,  and  he  taught 
school  for  two  or  three  years  after  locating  in  Nebraska.  Soon  after 
his  location  in  Gage  county  his  influence  began  to  be  felt  in  political 
circles  and  he  was  made  county  judge  in  1885,  and  he  has  also  been 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  411 

district  clerk,  and  always  takes  a  very  prominent  part  in  the  workings 
of  the  Republican  party. 

In  October,  1873,  he  married  Julia  Hyer,  born  in  Tennessee,  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Hyer,  an  eloquent  divine  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Enlow, 
namely:  Bessie  W.,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri, and  Gertrude  Helene,  one  of  the  popular  teachers  of  Beatrice. 
In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Enlow  is  a  Mason.  He  is  one  of  the 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Gage  county,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
for  thirty-three  years,  and  borne  his  part  in  its  wonderful  develop- 
ment. 


ELIAS  A.    MAUST. 

Elias  A.  Alaust,  a  prominent  dealer  in  grain,  live-stock  and  coal 
in  Falls  City,  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  of  the  city,  having 
started  the  first  grain  elevator  here  in  1870.  He  has  been  successful  in 
his  operations  from  the  first,  and  has  delegated  many  of  the  cares  of 
business  to  his  sons  and  worthy  successors.  His  position  in  the  city 
is  of  assured  importance,  for  he  has  taken  a  leading  part  not  only  in 
business  but  in  all  affairs  concerned  with  the  public  welfare  and  mate- 
rial advancement.  He  is  a  man  of  sound  worth  and  excellent  personal 
character,  one  who  gives  more  than  he  receives  in  his  relations  with  the 
world  and  his  fellows,  and  he  has  won  and  deserves  the  esteem  of  many. 

Mr.  Maust  was  born  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  March 
23,  1839.  Pennsylvania  and  in  particular  Somerset  county  has  been 
the  home  of  the  Mausts  for  several  generations,  and  the  name  is  one 
of  the  most  familiar  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  honored  in  that  section  of 


412  SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA. 

the  state.  The  family  history  is  most  interesting  and  instructive,  and 
leads  to  one  of  the  Mennonite  communities  of  worthy  and  pious  people 
who  are  among  the  chief  charms  and  adornments  of  western  and  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania. 

The  family  originated  in  Switzerland,  and  Mr.  Maust's  great-grand- 
father, whose  name  was  Jacob,  came  from  that  country.  He  wrote  his 
name  Jilast,  which  afterwards  in  some  way  was  changed  to  JNIaust  and 
and  as  such  has  been  spelled  to  the  present  time.  He  located  near 
Reading,  in  Berks  county.  He  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters :  John 
married  a  Miss  Stailey,  and  lived  on  the  old  farm  near  Reading ;  Jacob, 
the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Maust,  married  Barbary  Fike,  and  in  1774 
emigrated  to  the  old  homestead  in  Somerset  county;  Christian  married 
Rebecca  Fike,  and  also  located  in  Somerset  county,  living  about  four 
miles  west  of  Salisbury;  Joseph  married  Miss  Berkey  and  lived  about 
two  miles  west  of  Salisbury;  Fannie  married  John  Hochstetler,  and 
lived  in  Somerset  county  between  Salisbury  and  Mechanicsville,  on  the 
Yoder  farm:  Annie  married  a  Mr.  Kaufman. 

Grandfather  Jacob  was  married  three  times.  The  two  children  by 
his  first  wife  died  very  young.  Barbary  Fike  bore  him  ten  children: 
Magdaline,  Barbary,  Fannie^  Mariah;  Jacob,  who  settled  near  Union- 
town,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania;  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Catharine, 
Annie;  and  Abraham,  who  was  the  father  of  Mr.  E.  A.  Maust.  Of 
these  daughters,  one  married  a  Mr.  Thoinias,  who  lived  in  West  Vir- 
ginia ;  one  was  the  wife  of  Solomon  Bear,  who  lived  near  Somerset  in 
Somerset  county;  and  one  married  Jacob  Fike,  who  lived  near  the  old 
home  place  of  her  father's.  Grandfather  Maust's  third  wife  was  a 
widow,  Annie  (Kurtz)  Fulton,  and  they  had  two  children:  Sarah,  who 
died  in  her  second  year;  and  Gertrude,  who  married  Jacob  Zorn. 

Abraham   Maust,   the   father   of   Mr.    Elias   Maust,    was   one   of 


SOUTHEASTERN    NEBRASKA.  413 

nature's  true  noblemen.  He  was  born  on  the  old  liome  farm  about 
two  miles  northeast  of  Salisbury,  Somerset  county,  in  1793,  and  his 
life  was  not  brought  to  an  end  luitil  he  had  completed  ninety-one  years 
eleven  months  and  five  days  on  earth.  And  his  life  was  as  good  and 
great  as  it  was  long.  His  bright  and  patient  disposition  enabled  him  to 
bear  cheerfully  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life,  spent  in  total  blindness 
and  physical  suffering.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Mennonite 
church  for  nearly  seventy  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but 
during  the  war  was  a  pronounced  L'nion  man.  He  was  married  twice, 
and  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Lichty,  passed  to  the  other  world  twenty 
years  before  him.  He  was  like  the  Biblical  patriarch  after  whom  he 
was  named,  and  in  his  age  could  be  proud  of  a  large  and  worthy  pro- 
geny.  among  whom  he  was  revered  and  venerated  as  the  source  and 
founder.  At  the  time  of  his  death  his  grandchildren  numbered  one 
hundred  and  twelve,  and  his  great-grandchildren  eight-nine,  a  total 
of  two  hundred  and  one  to  bless  and  help  elevate  the  world. 

In  1817  Abraham  Maust  was  married  to  Magda